The Fifty Best, rating the finest in wines and spirits, has for the first time turned its spotlight on Irish whiskey. The Fifty Best recently hosted a tasting where contenders were evaluated for the distinguished “Best Irish Whiskey” awards for 2019, where The Dubliner Irish Whiskey Bourbon Cask Aged was awarded a Gold medal. Using professional criteria, the pre-qualified panel of judges blind-tasted the Irish whiskies and rated them individually on a 1-5 point scoring system with 5 being the best.
The Chief Executive of Bord na Móna has said he is looking to new projects in freshwater fish farms and tourism in a bid to replace the jobs to be lost by 400 workers in the peat sector in the next 12 months. Tom Donnellan says that trials of fish production and herb growing are under way in Co Offaly. But small communities, which have relied on the company for employment since the 1940s and 50s, say that up to €20 million in investment in new infrastructure is needed first to kick-start regeneration projects.
Japan, Ireland’s second most important Asian markets, has seen its economy shrink more than expected in the third quarter of the fiscal year as typhoons and an earthquake that halted factories and stifled consumption. The country is also suspect to trade deficits on the back of uncertainty regarding a trade-deal with the US.
According to Just Eat, flexitarianism is predicted to be a key food trend for 2019. The part-time plant-based diet is expected to soar as food trends lean towards methods of more sustainable living. Last year the delivery group saw a 55% increase in demand for vegetarian dishes, a 47% increase in gluten-free dishes, yet Pizza was the dominant choice as a Friday night meal.
The latest BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index shows that overall inflation in the UK accelerated to 0.3% last month compared to a year ago, and is up from 0.1% in November. This is the fourth month of inflation in five years and the highest since April 2013 and was driven by a slow in deflation across general merchandise and an increase in cost across ambient food, with prices up 2.3% in December from 2.1% in November.
Zimbabwe's largest brewing company Delta Beverages, part-owned by Anheuser-Busch Inbev, said it has abandoned a plan to only accept hard currency payments to cope with a crippling shortage of US dollars, after the government intervened. Delta Beverages announced on Wednesday that it would only take payments in US currency and would no longer accept electronic dollars known as 'Zollars' amid a severe shortage of hard currency in Zimbabwe.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
