It seems like every generation to come of drinking age has their high octane, pre-packaged beverage. You know the kind — the brands that these younger drinkers can’t seem to get enough of, often to the amazement of their older counterparts. For Gen X, it was Boone’s Farm and MD 20/20. For millennials, it was pre-reformulation Four Loko. And for Gen Z, it’s BuzzBallz. First launched in 2010 by Texas-based high school teacher Merrilee Kick, BuzzBallz was practically an instant hit.| VinePair
This week, the Trump administration made some moves alluding to what might be in store for the upcoming 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) in regards to alcohol consumption. In a Monday press release, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee announced that the government will be defunding the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), a committee established by Congress in 2004 to combat underage drinking and conduct research on the h...| VinePair
Late last week, right as the American drinking public was cracking its first cold one of Labor Day weekend, a federal court ruled that a raft of President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs were illegal. The decision isn’t the final word. The case is headed straight to the Supreme Court, where Trump’s toadies will be forced to decide what they love more: protecting capital’s interest in free markets, or prostrating themselves before the executive branch. The article...| VinePair
For all his many (many, many) faults, J. Paul Getty had a pretty useful philosophy on debt service. “If you owe the bank $100, that’s your problem,” the oil magnate is widely credited with saying, “but if you owe the bank $100 million, that’s the bank’s problem.” Craft breweries’ problem — well, one of them — is that they’re stuck in the middle. Many borrowed heavily against boom-year growth to build handsome, state-of-the-art facilities that would serve their expansiona...| VinePair
This episode of the “VinePair Podcast” is sponsored by Tequila El Mexicano. Founded by one of Tequila’s most storied families, this traditionally made, additive-free tequila is an expression not just of the Bañuelos family’s collective knowledge, but of the Jaliscan highlands themselves. Try the Blanco, Blanco 90, or Reposado to discover their life’s work. You can visit ElMexicanoUS.com to find Tequila El Mexicano near you or order online to experience three generations of tequila ...| VinePair
The collapse of Republic National Distributing Company’s California division at the beginning of this month is the biggest story in the booze business, for reasons I’ve reported at length here and elsewhere. But amid the epic, multibillion-dollar disintegration of the country’s second-largest distributor, another story about a different beverage-alcohol firm that was mismanaged into insolvency in the Golden State hit a dubious milestone. It’s been a year since a consumer-packaged-good...| VinePair
This episode of “Wine 101” is sponsored by Rioja. Rioja is celebrating its 100th anniversary. And with this celebration comes the recognition of history: taking lessons from the past and embracing innovation. Variety: utilizing grapes that have been in the soils of the Ebro Valley for centuries. And quality: attention to detail and developing wines that have made Rioja one of the top wine producing regions in the world. This is a celebration that honors all that came before and all that...| VinePair
The day after Christmas is typically a super-slow time for breaking news, especially in beer. Man drinks nine spiced Christmas ales! Tune in at 11 to hear about his hangover cure — leftover ham! But on Dec. 26, a tantalizing post appeared on the BeerAdvocate forum. During a recent shopping trip, a North Carolina beer drinker found a 6-pack of Newcastle Brown Ale, an easygoing British classic bearing an iconic blue star on its label. Lagunitas Brewing, the U.S. subsidiary of Newcastle’s pa...| VinePair
Earlier this week, I broke the news here at VinePair that Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) plans to “withdraw” from California — like, the entire state — at the beginning of September. The second-largest wine and spirits distributor in the country has been collapsing in the Golden State for years, but its death spiral had tightened considerably since the top of 2025, when major brands began heading for the warehouse door more or less monthly. Now, it’s throwing in the t...| VinePair