Spirits United, a new grassroots tool aimed at bringing together a broad base of spirits advocates from industry professionals to consumers, was formally launched this summer by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), American Distilling Institute (ADI) and TIPS. The Spirits United platform focuses on key issues facing the spirits industry, hospitality professionals and consumers, and provides advocates a web platform to “weigh in on issues that matter to them.” Chris Swonger, President and CEO of DISCUS and Responsibility.org, said, “Through Spirits United, we want to harness this enthusiasm and shared interest in the spirits sector and encourage this community to join us in advocating on behalf of our industry and our consumers.” The U.S. spirits industry generates $178 billion in economic activity and 1.6 million American jobs, a statistic noted in the news release.