Multi-beverage business Ag Barr, owner of brands such as Irn-Bru and Funkin Cocktails, has bought soft drinks and mixers brand Fentimans for £38m.

American whiskey brand, Brother’s Bond Bourbon, has launched in the UK through a distribution partnership with Maverick Drinks.

Paragon Brands has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor for Bermudian rum Goslings.

For a decade, Campari has reigned over the liqueurs list, holding the number one spot consistently since 2016.

Starward Whisky has announced that founder David Vitale has fully acquired the business, concluding Diageo and other shareholder involvement in the business.

Scottish brewer Brewdog will stop operations at its distillery in Aberdeenshire and cease production of its spirits brands.

Long-standing category champion Del Maguey has finally been toppled by Siete Misterios

It’s tight across the entire board when it comes to this category, with often just a handful of bars separating rankings.

British soft drinks business Cawston Press has bought Loah beer for an undisclosed sum, as the company expands into the no and low space.

UK-based Spirit of Harrogate, owner of Slingsby, will enter administration with the businesses’ assets being put up for sale.

The newly formed Great British Drinks Company, backed by the family entrepreneurs behind Paramount Retail Group, has acquired Yorkshire’s Black Sheep Brewery in a £6.5m restoration deal.

The bestselling American whiskey ranking is largely the same as last year. Old Forester has replaced Jim Beam in the top 10, while the other nine are either the same or one place adri­ft.

The UK’s largest trade fair, BCB London, returns to Tobacco Dock on 11 to 12 May with a new educational programme.