Bacardi Limited has jumped fully into the mezcal game and acquired Ilegal Mezcal, the company announced today.

Non-alcohol spirits, wine and beer now have a market value exceeding half a billion dollars in off-premise channels, according to a new NIQ report on the category.

The company behind leading ready-to-drink cocktail High Noon is bringing out a new contender: VMC, a tequila-based canned cocktail born from a partnership between world champion boxer Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, Spirit of Gallo, and Casa Lumbre is set to release next month, the company announced today.

In bringing together two of the biggest names in beverage – Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola – for a ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail, Dallas Cheatham, Brown-Forman’s ready-to-drink portfolio director, knew the consumer buy-in was there.

Beam Suntory reported a 10% rise in net sales for the first half of 2023, driven by ready-to-drink (RTD) brands and the company’s premiumization strategy, but nevertheless did face performance struggles in North America.

Molson Coors made headlines this week when it announced that it agreed to purchase Kentucky-based distillery Blue Run Spirits, marking the beer giant’s first spirits acquisition and the formal launch of its Coors Spirits Co. business.

Ready-to-drink and serve products have surpassed $10 billion dollar sales in off-premise channels in the latest 52 weeks ending July 8, representing a 7% increase compared to the previous period, according to an NIQ report released on Wednesday.

Vervet, a farm-to-can sparkling cocktail line, announced yesterday it is winding down its business after the marketing costs required to compete with the recent influx of other RTD cocktails made the business unviable.

Diageo reported a 10.7% rise in net sales for fiscal year 2023, with premium-plus brands contributing 57% of overall organic net sales growth.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last week filed a lawsuit against six online liquor retailers accused of illegally selling liquor from out-of-state, an aggressive move that suggests retailers and brands may be facing greater scrutiny about how they ship products.

Growing up, Spencer Hoddeson said he mostly heard the term “gay” in a negative context. Now, he wants to destigmatize the word and create representation in spaces that traditionally don’t have LGBTQ-owned products, one Gay Water at a time.

Beam Suntory CEO Albert Baladi will be stepping down and passing the baton to Greg Hughes, who serves as the company’s senior vice president chief growth and brands officer, the company announced yesterday.

In a new ad campaign, Workaholics actor Blake Anderson takes on a question likely popping up on college campuses around the county: why does ready-to-drink cocktail BuzzBallz come in a round, tennis ball-sized bottle?

Stoli Group has announced a reshuffle of leadership roles today, appointing former CFO Chris Caldwell as its new global CEO.