So, welcome 2012. We have every reason thus far to believe you won't disappoint.

Much as we were expecting a gentle breaking in, the first full week of the year was lively, to put it mildly: Just check these humdinging (it's a word) stories.

As the soft drinks producers among us geared themselves up for the introduction of a tax hike in France, the alcohol firms turned their attention to India, where the prospect of lower tariffs on wine and spirits edged closer.

Beer-wise, it was Anheuser-Busch InBev (naturally) that kicked things off for us, with a vigorous defence of its Wikipedia-related attempts to distance Stella Artois from its rather unpleasant moniker in the UK – a defence that seems fair enough to me.

If 2012 has started as it means to go on, then, we can expect to be kept busy over the next 12 months.

I hope the same can be said for you. Happy New Year.