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‘I don’t see the craft-distillery closure rate slowing until we have some sort of macro change’ – American Craft Spirits Association CEO Emily Pennington speaks to Global Drinks Intel – Part I

Jessica Broadbent
Last updated: 08/10/2026 at 6:03 PM
By Jessica Broadbent
8 October 2026
9 Min Read

‘I don’t think it would be realistic of me to say that the category is thriving, but there are definitely pockets of success.’


American Craft Spirits Association logo

This week, the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) launched its annual Craft Spirits Data Project, which revealed craft distillery closures outpaced openings for the first time in 2025. Ahead of the report’s launch, Global Drinks Intel caught up with the trade group’s CEO, Emily Pennington (below).

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This week, the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) launched its annual Craft Spirits Data Project, which revealed that craft-distillery closures outpaced openings for the first time in 2025. Ahead of the report’s launch, Global Drinks Intel caught up with the trade group’s CEO, Emily Pennington (below).How are the US's craft distillers holding up in 2026? It's a hard time to be an independent distiller in the US right now, and I imagine globally as well. The things that they're up against are: retail buyers are picking up fewer new products, and they have higher expectations for perf

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Jessica Broadbent
ByJessica Broadbent
Jess joined Global Drinks Intel as deputy editor in January 2026 following a stint as a freelance journalist in Panama. She was previously deputy editor at Just Drinks. She has bylines in other industry titles including The Buyer, Fine Lees and Just Food, and has been a sub-editor at The Daily Mail.
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