As Christopher’s review earlier today indicated, the new Beam Signature Craft series offering isn’t out until September. However, it’s just one of many exciting releases coming up this Autumn, which has turned into the American whiskey equivalent of NYC’s Fashion Week. The venerable, Pappy-addicted website Bourbonr (with a little help from our man Sku) has a thoroughly detailed roundup of the new releases you can expect to see — or in some cases not see due to limited supply and high demand — this upcoming season. We tried an early sample of Willet’s Exploratory Cask Finish at a tasting this past spring and it was exceptional, possibly a contender for one of the best of 2014. Looking forward to the final results! [Bourbonr]

Rumors are going around the party chat line that Diageo might mega-merge with Miller (SABMiller), creating one the biggest drinks companies on the planet. The Street takes a look at what this collision might mean for both companies. [The Street]

In tech news, the domain name .bar went into registry form on Monday, and over 100 companies have already registered for potential new URLs. Early on it looks like only one beer brand jumped on the bandwagon: Miller. Check out who else is joining up. Might be time to go register and launch drinkhacker.bar. [Domains]

Brazil may have hosted some big parties over the last few weeks involving sports, but the country’s thirst for cachaça may be drying up, according to a new report issued by Just Drinks. Global sales of the sugar-based hooch fell 3% in 2013, selling a new record low 79.3 million cases. As Brazil accounts for 99% of cachaça sales, this isn’t exactly what cachaça CEOs need to hear. However the news isn’t all bad, as international sales grew 1% over the same time frame, with sales in Portugal and Chile leading the way. [Just Drinks]

And finally today: don’t call it a comeback, but maybe just a tiny shot of botox and some nips and tucks here and there. Shanken is reporting that major players within the rum industry are gearing up this fall to launch new products to help re-establish the spirit as one of the top drinks of choice for consumers. After a major decade long surge, sales slumped over the past three years, largely thanks to competition from bourbon, tequila, and our perennial favorite: flavored vodkas. [Shanken News Daily]

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