THE 10% increase in excise duties on brandy will further hurt distillers who are struggling to win back the drink's market share from more attractively priced whisky and vodka brands, industry players said this week. Retailers will be reluctant to pass on the increase in excise duties - from R36 per 750ml bottle of spirits to R39.60 - to consumers and the cost recovery is likely to trickle down the value chain to the primary producer of wine grapes, said Rico Basson, executive director of VinPro. "The fact that the increases are still higher than inflation is not conducive to