Vancouver, BC, November 26, 2025 – This holiday season, five of Vancouver’s top cocktail destinations are joining forces for the inaugural ‘Sip into the Season’ cocktail crawl. From December 1-25, guests are invited to visit Botanist Bar, The Keefer Bar, Laowai, Meo, and June / LaLa, to experience a signature holiday cocktail from each bar's seasonal menu. Guests who visit each participating bar and enjoy a holiday cocktail can enter for a chance to win a one-night stay in a suite at Fairmont Pacific Rim, plus additional prizes.

“December is one of the busiest times of year for all of us behind the bar,” says Grant Sceney, creative beverage director at Fairmont Pacific Rim. “While we can’t be shaking drinks side-by-side, ‘Sip into the Season’ invites the community to share festive spirits with our industry friends.”  

A selection of the featured cocktails include:

Botanist Bar 
“Sleigh all Day”
Christmas pudding gin, aged rum, red wine, winter spices, black tea, citrus

The Keefer Bar  
“Quick Draw”
Lot 40 rye, sarsaparilla amaro, lemon, milk clarified, vanilla mochi  

Laowai  
“Via Galaxie”
Amaro Montenegro, Ardbeg Wee Beastie, raspberry, milk oolong, lemon juice 

Meo  
“Gingerbread Old Fashioned”
Calvados, gingerbread cordial, aromatic bitters, gingerbread cookie

June
“Noisette Manhattan”
brown butter Suntory Toki whisky, Pere Magloire Calvados, vermouth,
Champagne gomme, bitters

How to enter the contest: 
Order a festive cocktail at any participating location, snap a photo, and post it to Instagram tagging the bars - @botanistdining, @juneoncambie, @meochinatown, @thekeeferbar, and @whereislaowai – and include the hashtag #sipintotheseason. Each valid tagged story post counts as one entry. Winners will be selected at random and after December 25, 2025.  

“I look forward to raising a glass together with my fellow colleagues,” adds Sceney. “We hope we inspire guests to have a fun night out and can’t wait for them to share their holiday cocktail moments with us.” 

For more information about Sip into the Season, please visit

BOWLING GREEN, Ky., Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bird Dog Whiskey has launched a new offering that the fanbase has been clamoring for: a purebred Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

At 86 proof, Bird Dog Select Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey is smooth enough to sip on the porch, yet rich enough to be the backbone of Saturday tailgate cocktails. The nose opens with buttery caramel and roasted almonds, while the palate delivers layers of toffee, warm brown sugar, and a hint of walnut that lingers without overstaying.

Inspired by Bird Dog's pedigree as the most awarded flavored whiskey line in the industry, Select Reserve remains approachable, versatile, and built for everyday enjoyment. It brings that same commitment to quality into straight bourbon territory at a price point that makes it an easy pour for any occasion. Crafted for those who want flavor without pretense, this bourbon doesn't hide behind industry jargon. It simply delivers.

Made in Kentucky, Bird Dog Select Reserve is available across most U.S. markets and can be ordered online for $22.99.

FRANKFORT, Ky., Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --  is bringing back its third annual ultimate bourbon gift experience with its customizable bourbon for the holiday season, at special Black Friday pricing. Create your own bottle with J. Mattingly 1845's award-winning double-staved™ bourbon or rye. Choose your wax colors for the bottle's seal. Then dream up your bottle's name. The J. Mattingly 1845 elves will hand bottle it to your custom specifications and have it shipped to your gift recipient's door in time for all your holiday celebrations and gift giving. Enjoy special Black Friday pricing now of just $99.50 a bottle, a savings of $60!

J. Mattingly 1845's custom bourbon is made with its award-winning double-staved bourbon and rye whiskeys, which won a Double Platinum at the 2025 ASCOT awards and a Gold Medal at this year's New Orleans Spirits Competition. The double-staving process is a proprietary method that adds additional charred oak staves to each barrel at just the right moment in its aging cycle to coax out extra flavor.

"The custom bourbon bottles from J. Mattingly 1845 make the perfect gift for bourbon aficionados and those hard to buy for people on your holiday list," said Harry Richart IV, president, J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery. "It's so easy to go online, choose your recipe and what you want your label to say, and we'll craft it and have it delivered to your door. If you order by December 15, we'll make sure your loved ones get it by December 25^th. These custom bottles make great corporate gifts, hostess gifts, or yearly keepsakes for your bourbon-loving friends."  

J. Mattingly 1845 Bourbon and its custom bourbon creation experience are available online at

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (November 24, 2025) – Flavorman, a leading custom beverage development company, has released its 2026 Beverage Trends Forecast, continuing the company’s eight-year streak of accurately predicting the flavors and innovations that will shape the industry for the upcoming year. 

Drawing from extensive client project data, insights from industry partners, year-over-year consumer behavior patterns, and historical trend analysis, Flavorman’s Beverage Architects identified several key shifts expected to influence product development in the year ahead. 

For the coming year, Flavorman projects that consumers will lean even more heavily into classic, enduring flavors such as mango, strawberry, lemon-lime, and vanilla. This aligns with a trend that the Beverage Architects predicted last year, where consumers have gravitated toward what is most familiar when choosing what to drink. Flavorman also notes growing interest in emerging fruits and decadent flavors, such as guava, sumac berry, churro, and huckleberry cobbler, signaling that innovation will continue to thrive alongside the classics. 

“Our Flavor Laboratory has noticed that brands are beginning to capture unique variations of classic flavor profiles. For example, we’ve received an increasing number of requests for yuzu, which evokes a fusion of different citrus notes,” says Flavorman’s Chief Flavorist, Tom Gibson, “Consumers are still craving the familiar favorites; beverage brands are simply finding creative ways to deliver that.” 

Reflecting on its 2025 predictions, Flavorman once again demonstrated its accuracy, particularly in predicting the surge of “sober curious” consumers and the rapid rise of Non-Alcoholic Spirits and mocktail categories. With demand continuing to accelerate, the Beverage Architects anticipate even greater innovation in 2026, including elevated mocktails with added adaptogens and more flavor profiles replicating the taste of traditional spirits.

Flavorman’s 2026 outlook also indicates that renewed consumer focus on functional ingredients centered around wellness. Flavorman’s Beverage Architects expect to see growth in clean-label, naturally energizing options, especially caffeinated alternatives to conventional energy drinks and coffee. Ingredients such as cascara, yerba mate, and other functional tea blends are positioned to break through as brands look to meet the rising demand for beverages that support both energy and well-being. 

As consumers increasingly prioritize wellness and vitality, Flavorman notes that shifting regulatory dynamics are shaping the beverage industry. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration recently announced plans to phase out certified color additives – a move already reflected in industry behavior. Flavorman’s Beverage Architects have already observed this shift among clients, noting a decrease in new projects utilizing FD&C colors. 

Regulatory uncertainty is also rippling through the fast-growing hemp-derived THC category, despite a growing market for such products. This comes in tandem with the recent changes to the 2018 Farm Bill that will ban hemp-derived THC products in the U.S. by late 2026. Flavorman anticipates that this shift will influence development strategies as brands navigate compliance, consumer demand, and the evolving legal landscape. 

“The regulatory landscape for hemp-derived THC has always been uncertain, and we anticipated changes like these would eventually come,” says Flavorman’s Director of Quality Systems, Matthew Fuller. “Hemp companies now have a unique opportunity to rally support from their consumer base that helped grow a $28 billion industry. So, a lot can change in a year.” 

On the branding side, Flavorman previously predicted a wave of customization – from flavor cartridges to variety packs – as consumers sought greater control and personalization in their beverage experiences. For 2026, the company expects this momentum to evolve into “premium products through convenience” as brands increasingly lean into bulk unit sales, expanding their presence in e-commerce channels, and prioritizing distribution strategies that ensure products are available wherever consumers choose to shop.

Flavorman, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., partners with brands of all sizes to bring innovative beverage ideas to market. From formulation and ingredient selection to production planning and quality control, Flavorman has been instrumental in developing more than 85,000 unique beverage formulations across every major category.

For more information about Flavorman and its services, visit .