What Drinks International does

Drinks International is a UK-based B2B trade media company that publishes news, features, analysis, and a portfolio of annual industry rankings and reports for the global drinks and hospitality industry. The company operates under Agile Media Ltd, is headquartered in Burgess Hill (West Sussex), and has been active since 2008 with a staff of 11-50. Its editorial coverage spans spirits, wine, beer and cider, travel retail, and the bar/hospitality sector, distributed through the drinksint.com website, a weekly digital edition, and a print magazine delivered to subscribers.

The core product portfolio consists of the weekly Drinks International Magazine plus a suite of branded annual franchises: the Bar World 100 (industry influencer ranking), the Brands Report (16-year annual analytics on bar purchasing habits), the Millionaires' Club (bestselling spirits brand analysis), the Cocktail Report (top cocktails at world's best bars), and the World's Most Admired Wine Brands, Champagne Brands, and Whiskies rankings. These franchises are supported by a curated expert community — a 100-person wine academy and 120+ bar industry commentators across 72 bar scenes — that supplies the underlying voting data.

The business model combines three revenue streams: recurring annual subscriptions for the digital and print magazine editions, advertising and media pack placements from drinks brands, and sponsored content published under a dedicated site category. Distribution is primarily direct via drinksint.com and an external subscription platform, with the print edition acting as a physical distribution channel to subscribers globally. The underlying technology is a conventional WordPress-based digital publishing platform with cookie-based user tracking and gated content access for premium archives.

Name

Drinks International

Legal name

Agile Media Ltd

Website

https://drinksint.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drinks International is a UK-based B2B trade publication covering the global drinks and hospitality industry, publishing weekly news, magazines, and a portfolio of annual rankings and reports (Bar World 100, Brands Report, Millionaires' Club, Cocktail Report, Most Admired Wine/Champagne/Whiskies) for bar professionals, producers, importers, and sommeliers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Drinks International generates revenue through paid subscriptions for its digital and print magazine editions. The subscription page at agile-media.escosubs.co.uk indicates paid subscription offers are available. Subscribers gain access to the digital archive, current issues, and exclusive content.
2. Advertising: The website features 'Advertise With Us' and 'Media Pack' pages indicating revenue from brand advertising within the publication. The site contains standard advertising cookie tracking for serving personalized ads.
3. Sponsored Content: The company publishes sponsored content from drinks brands under the 'Sponsored Content' category, generating revenue from brand partnerships for editorial-style content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Drinks International is a B2B trade publication that publishes news, features, analysis, and industry rankings covering the global drinks industry including spirits, wine, beer, cider, travel retail, and bar sectors. Its core offering is a weekly magazine available in digital and print editions, complemented by a portfolio of annual branded industry rankings and reports (Bar World 100, Brands Report, Millionaires' Club, Cocktail Report, World's Most Admired Wine/Champagne/Whisky Brands, International Spirits Challenge, Rum Supplement, Global Bar Edition). Revenue is generated from paid subscriptions, advertising, and sponsored content partnerships with drinks brands.

Product overview

Drinks International is a trade publication and magazine covering the global drinks and hospitality industry. The company operates primarily as a content publisher, offering news, features, analysis, and industry reports across spirits (whisky, gin, tequila, rum, vodka), wine, beer, cider, and bar sectors. The product portfolio consists of a core weekly magazine (available in print and digital editions) and a suite of branded industry reports and rankings including The Bar World 100, The Brands Report, The Millionaires' Club, The Cocktail Report, The World's Most Admired Wine/Champagne/Whisky Brands, International Spirits Challenge, The Rum Supplement, and The Global Bar Edition. These are primarily editorial publications and industry rankings rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bar World 100: Annual ranking of the most influential bar industry figures
• The Millionaires' Club
• The World's Most Admired Wine Brands
• The World's Most Admired Champagne Brands
• The World's Most Admired Whiskies
• The Cocktail Report
• Brands Report
• International Spirits Challenge
• The Rum Supplement
• The Global Bar Edition

Products and services

• Drinks International Magazine Weekly trade publication covering the global drinks industry including spirits, wine, beer, cider, travel retail, bar news, features, and analysis. Available in both digital and print editions and distributed to subscribers and registered readers.
• The Bar World 100 Annual ranking of the 100 most influential figures in the global bar industry, compiled from a poll of more than 120 industry commentators across 72 bar scenes worldwide.
• The Brands Report Annual report providing data analytics into the buying habits of consumers in the world's best bars, covering bestselling and trending brands across spirits categories such as American whiskey, Scotch, gin, tequila, vodka, rum, and bartender preferences. Published every January for 16 years.
• The World's Most Admired Wine Brands Annual ranking that recognizes the world's most admired wine brands based on votes from an independent academy of wine buyers, sommeliers, and Master of Wine professionals, evaluating wine quality, consistency, price-to-quality ratio, branding strength, and sustainability.
• The World's Most Admired Champagne Brands Annual ranking recognizing the world's most admired champagne brands based on industry voting criteria.
• The Millionaires' Club Annual analysis of the world's bestselling spirits brands, providing volume data and performance metrics across categories including Scotch whisky, gin, tequila, rum, Indian whisky, vodka, and American whiskey.
• The Cocktail Report Annual report listing the 50 bestselling classic cocktails at the world's best bars, including recipes from award-winning bars and analysis of cocktail trends.
• The World's Most Admired Whiskies Annual ranking recognizing the world's 50 most admired whisky brands based on quality, consistency, price-to-quality ratio, and branding.
• International Spirits Challenge (ISC) Spirits competition covering various spirit categories with tasting, evaluation, and awards for spirits brands.
• The Rum Supplement Dedicated supplement covering the rum category, industry trends, and notable brands.
• The Global Bar Edition Specialized edition focusing on the global bar industry, trends, and industry insights.

Quantifiable outcome

• The World's Most Admired Wine Brands ranking uses a 100-person academy of independent experts including wine buyers, sommeliers, and Masters of Wine
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Punch: Digital drinks publication covering cocktails, spirits, wine, and bar culture with strong editorial brand. Comparable to Drinks International on bar/cocktail coverage and ranking-style editorial, but pure-play digital rather than legacy trade publication.
• VinePair: Digital-first drinks publication covering wine, spirits, beer, and cocktails with content marketing and events. Comparable to Drinks International on coverage breadth, though VinePair leads with digital-native GTM rather than print heritage.

Direct peers

• Decanter: Major wine media brand offering news, reviews, and rankings to a global wine audience. Comparable to Drinks International's wine coverage and World's Most Admired Wine Brands property, though Decanter skews more consumer-focused.
• Harpers Wine & Spirit: UK-based B2B trade title covering the wine and spirits trade. Comparable to Drinks International in coverage verticals (wine, spirits), UK-headquartered media model, and trade readership.
• Beverage Daily: B2B trade publication providing news and analysis on the non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage industries. Directly comparable in audience and content categories to Drinks International, with similar digital-led GTM.
• Imbibe Magazine: Trade publication covering the on-premise drinks and bar industry with news, reviews, and rankings. Comparable to Drinks International's bar and bartender focus area, including brand reporting and on-premise intelligence.
• The Spirits Business: B2B trade publication covering the global spirits industry with news, features, rankings, and events. Closely comparable to Drinks International in audience (producers, bartenders, retailers) and product mix (magazine, digital, rankings, awards).
• Just Drinks: B2B news and analysis site covering the global soft and alcoholic drinks industries. Comparable in GTM (digital subscription, advertising) and audience (drinks producers, brand managers) to Drinks International.

Regional players

• The Buyer: UK-based B2B drinks trade publication covering on-trade drinks buyers. Comparable to Drinks International's trade and bar professional readership, with overlapping advertising and sponsored content revenue streams.

Broad incumbents

• Wine Spectator: Established global wine media brand with ratings, news, and events. Overlaps with Drinks International on wine rankings and trade coverage, but operates at much larger scale and broader consumer reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DrinksIntl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agile-media-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Drinks International