News Briefs for July 30, 2025
July 30, 2025•Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has successfully blocked a proposed federal hemp THC ban from the Senate’s spending bill covering agriculture, rural development, and the Food and Drug Administration. Paul’s threat to stall the bill was enough for Republican Senators to pull the language from the bill, providing some hope for the hemp THC industry that their products could remain federally legal in the future. While the ban is no longer part of the Senate’s budget bill, the House of Representatives version of the bill still includes the hemp ban. The two bills will need to be reconciled before heading to the president’s desk. Hemp THC drinks have been a fast-growing category in U.S. retailers over the past two years.
•New York-based importer WineWave is launching Italian sparkling tea brand Glamti in the U.S. market. Glamtì is a blend of Italian sparkling wine, black tea, and lemon juice from the Limone di Sorrento IGP made by the Bosca family in Piedmont, Italy. Carrying an abv of 5%, the newcomer is debuting at select wine shops and on-premise venues. WineWave Imports is a partnership between industry veterans Richie and Jack Cacciato, and their daughters Christina Cacciato Comito, Nikki Corsini, and Rebecca Cacciato.
•French single malt whisky brand Soubeyran has debuted in the U.S. through a new partnership with Crillon Importers. The brand is made at the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence in Forcalquier and will launch this fall in the U.S. with five expressions: Soubeyran Signature (aged in French wine and Islay Scotch casks, $37), Cognac Cask ($37), Tequila Cask (aged seven years, $50), French Oak (seven years, $50), and Single Cask Cask Strength ($75). The range will be available in select markets on the east coast, including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, the Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, and New Hampshire, with further expansion planned.
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