After several mos of uncertainty since C&C Group and VT Cider Co ended their "importation agreement" in Feb, Magners hard cider found a new home in the US with importer Total Bev Solution (TBS) late last mo. Recall, Total Bev Solution, run by former Diageo Guinness USA sales vet Dave Pardus, acquired Sheehan Family Cos' St. Killian's importing arm late last year, putting co in position to ship 4+ mil cases of beer and 500K nine-liter cases of wine & spirits in 2024. It already imports C&C's Scottish lager brand, Tennent's, which seemingly made TBS a natural fit for Magners. But Magners has fallen considerably from its peak in the US, and sales dropped precipitously this year (off an already small base) with import rights in limbo. But Magners sales will be all incremental for TBS the rest of the year as co's building out its portfolio more aggressively.

Athletic is once again bolstering its balance sheet, adding another $50-mil capital infusion that brings its total amount raised to roughly $223 mil since launching in 2018. Latest equity financing round closed about a wk ago and was led by General Atlantic, a top "global growth investor" with ~$84 bil in assets under mgmt, alongside "participation from multiple existing investors," co announced today. General Atlantic wasn't previously part of Athletic's cap table (i.e. investor group) and will assume a seat on the company's board alongside Keurig Dr Pepper and other key investors. (A version of this article appeared in sibling pub Craft Brew News this morning.)

Yesterday, AB and Dichello Dist, one of its distribs in CT, alerted fed ct that they expect to settle their long-running dispute. Tho not final yet, the settlement would effectively save both parties from looming trial, originally set for jury selection this wk. Indeed, co asked ct for additional time to hammer out some of the specific terms of the settlement. AB alluded to as much in statement by spokesperson today, noting that "Anheuser-Busch and Dichello have agreed to a settlement contingent upon satisfaction of certain conditions." Dichello prexy John Hall commented that "both sides worked together to find a mutually beneficial solution and look forward to a continued relationship."

As Central OR's Three Creeks Brewing was sold to new owner, Jacob Whitney, it's shuttering the production brewery and seasonal event space with plans to sell the property, reported the New School. But the brand rights are apparently still up for sale too. The pub staff "will be retained," paper noted, but "it is also with great sadness that our Production Facility is no longer a tenable endeavor," wrote founder Wade Underwood, pointing to "rising costs, increased competition on multiple fronts, wholesaler consolidations, supply chain challenges and economic strains which all brands are facing."

As numerous states attempt to regulate hemp-based intoxicating products, some are in court defending their decisions, while others craft rules that provide explicit pathways for alc bev bizzes to play in the budding, but legally blurry world. In court, Iowa won its first round against a pair of producers, Climbing Kites and Field Day Brewing, when a fed judge denied their plea for a preliminary injunction against the state's new restrictions on hemp-based products. Yet an amended complaint may have a better chance, the judge explained in a ruling issued last wk. Meanwhile, another group of 8 bizzes, mostly retailers, filed a separate suit against the state for placing them in "regulatory limbo," as the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. (Versions of this article appeared in sibling pub INSIGHTS Express.)

From the NY Times to the Daily Mail to the NY Post, the now-familiar chorus that there is "no safe level" of alcohol consumption for health, amplified by the WHO, can be found in a wide range of media outlets these days. In fact, that was the precise progression of publications to cover a series of stats estimating how much time various levels of drinking can "shave off your life." Trotted out by Canadian researcher-advocate Dr Tim Stockwell as part of the much-discussed NY Times Magazine article a few wks ago, the data suggests that an average of 1 drink per day can shorten a life by 2.5 mos. It paired that datapoint with the assessment that the risk associated with a woman consuming 6 drinks per wk is "by any measure, small on average." So tho other aspects of the Times' coverage weren't perfect, in general it took a more moderate tone.

As numerous states attempt to regulate hemp-based intoxicating products, some are crafting rules akin to those in place for alcohol, including allowing alc bev licensees to participate in the market. Passed by NJ lawmakers in late June, a bill awaiting the gov's signature in that state would limit sales of intoxicating hemp bevs to existing licensed cannabis dispensaries and liquor stores. The allowance for alc bev bizzes to also apply for licenses to sell cannabis products was a late addition to the bill that not all folks in the cannabis industry supported, the New Jersey Monitor reported last wk. Then again, plenty of folks in hemp aren't exactly excited about other aspects of the potential new law, which not only require licensing but product testing, bringing hemp-based products fully within the state's existing cannabis regulatory scheme. In a further parallel to alc bev policy concerns, some critics of the law claim that mandatory in-state production violates the dormant Commerce Clause, unconstitutionally hindering interstate trade.