[BND] Kane's Beverage News Daily

Good Morning, and Happy Friday. It's September 25, 2026.

Calif. Gov't Stalls on When Winery Can Resume, So After 40 Years It's Closing

The tasting room for Rosenthal – The Malibu Estate was destroyed in the 2025 Palisades wildfire. It was the winery's primary way of distributing its wines. Now its closing. The site was leased from California State Government and is being used as a staging and storage area for clean-up operations after the inferno, which destroyed more than 6,800 structures.

Calif. Bev/Al Producers Win Right to Do Sensory Research to Learn Consumer Perceptions

Alcohol beverage producers are now able to conduct sensory to evaluate consumer perceptions of characteristics such as aroma, flavor, balance, mouthfeel, and overall appeal after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1991. Wine Institute sponsored the bill. For wineries, responding to changes in consumer preferences is rarely as simple as adjusting a product overnight. Decisions ranging from what winegrapes to plant to the styles and blends of wine to create can require years of planning, significant inv

A Businessman's Only Certainty: Change; More Bankruptcies, Receiverships Coming

In Thursday's Daily, I noted that the cause of the Gundlach Bundschu bankruptcy was a result of two things: borrowing more than current sales can support and rising interest rates. It's easy to wag a moralistic finger at the Bundschus and Signorellos, whose winery is in the midst of a foreclosure. The truth of the matter is that yes, they overextended themselves, and banks were more than willing accomplices.

Highland Park Whisky Partners with Laila Gohar for Limited Edition 17 YO

Highland Park is expanding its Between You and I series with Between You and I by Laila Gohar (SRP $160), a limited edition 17 Year Old Single Malt created in collaboration with New York-based artist and creative director Laila Gohar, launching today. Led by Master Whisky Maker Marc Watson as his first release since taking the helm last year, the expression was created with Gohar’s Egyptian heritage in mind. Watson sampled more than 80 casks to find a profile that could evoke powerful memories

What I'm Reading --

Thanks for reading. I'll be back Monday. – Joel