Happy Halloween! This week we are serving up all treats and no tricks. We don’t have a spooky themed newsletter for you but I’m sure lots of you are already pretty tapped out on the holiday anyways. This week we have a classic round-up of news that I’ve tried to condense into bite-sized portions.

Side note to bar and restaurant employees: all the luck and good tips to you on this Friday Halloween night; we’re hoping the only thing scary about it is how well it goes.

Anyway, onto this weeks newsletter!

Rumor has it that Kirin Holdings is Looking to Sell the 137 Year Old Brand

Four Roses is a brand that personally, I very much enjoy. Their offerings include a wide range of options that include budget friendly and pricier bottles. The company was founded in 1888 and has changed hands a few times since, but since 2002 has been owned by a Japanese conglomerate, Kirin Holdings Co.

Word spread online after Financial Times released an article alleging that Kirin was looking for a buyer with the help of investment bank UBS. According to an article from The Spirits Business Kirin Holdings (which also owns Kirin beer brand, Fuji Japanese whisky, and Four Pillars Australian gin) declined to comment on the alleged sale.

Important to note is that Kirin Holdings Co. is not just in the spirits business, they are also in the pharmaceutical sector. This might be why they are considering selling the iconic brand despite a very modest 0.2% dip in sales. Considering that bourbon is in the unique position of being both exclusively made in the U.S. and facing incredible losses from foreign market boycotts due to the tariff situation, 0.2% seems incredibly modest. Any number of factors could be contributing to the choice to sell but I think we can guess what it all distills down to: money. Making up for losses elsewhere or quitting on a brand that might be entering financial turmoil; we can only speculate for now.

I would love to announce that I am in fact buying Four Roses but the scariest thing I have to share with you today is the alleged price tag: $1 billion. So, alas, I am unable to afford the purchase by a mere 9.9999985 million dollars.

The Company Likens the Accusations to ‘Flat Earth’ Claims

In possibly my favorite tidbit on this series of lawsuits, Diageo compares claims of tequila adulteration to claiming the Earth is flat. This is in reference to the testing that was done to samples of Don Julio and Casamigos in the class-action lawsuit from Miami-Dade County filed in May of this year.

The comparison was made regarding the validity of the sample size used in the independent testing done by the plaintiffs. Essentially, Diageo asserts, using this test on one sample from one bottle of each brand of tequila is like looking over your neighbor’s fence and concluding that the Earth must be flat because their yard is.

If you missed it make sure you check out last week’s newsletter to learn more about the tests that are used to identify the source of the distillate in a given spirit and their actual accuracy.

Although the flat Earth reference definitely made me chuckle, the point at the center of this claim for dismissal is actually pretty straightforward. The defendant is seeking to have the case dismissed on the basis that the lawsuit was opportunistic and simply copied the lawsuits that predated it in the U.S. Even though through our coverage and research on the subject makes me biased to think there is something funny going on here I do think that the case for Diageo to get this one dropped is reasonable. The plaintiff even admitted to the case being a “me too” kind of lawsuit. It seems everyone wants a piece of that payout if the courts rule in favor of the plaintiffs.

It’s soup season, baby! Most videos regarding this just replace the bowl of soup with a cocktail and a spoon but the way my jaw dropped when I found this video... I am a little bit obsessed with phở so this made my mouth water. Not to mention it’s in a gimlet; I really feel like I need to experience this.

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