“Stronger Together” was the theme of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ (DISCUS’) annual conference, held last week in New Orleans.

Astoria, Oregon-based Buoy Beer remained closed this week after a partial roof collapse resulted in “significant damage” to part of its facility, the company said.

Like most tourist destinations during the pandemic, the last couple of years have been full of ups and downs for the Trapp Family Lodge and its brewery operation in Stowe, Vermont. Over the last two years, the resort experienced its “slowest tourism levels ever,” followed by its “highest tourism levels ever”, Sam von Trapp, executive vice president of Trapp Family Lodge and von Trapp Brewing, told Brewbound.

With more drinkers reaching for tequila-based ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, mezcal versions could seem like a natural next step considering the spirit’s recent rise. Madre Mezcal, a brand with a foothold in the mezcal market is the most recent to launch their version, a 5% ABV can called Desert Water that comes in four flavors. Meanwhile, Elenita, which launched as the first mezcal RTD in 2020, has been steadily growing their distribution. But unlike other agave spirit RTDs, they might not get much competition for a while – the supply chain challenges are just that big

NielsenIQ veteran Mary Mills has departed the data giant to join Chicago-based 3 Tier Beverages as a consultant. During her 14 years at NielsenIQ, Mills worked with clients in the food, beverage and consumer goods industries in a variety of roles, including innovation insights, client management and business development. She brings nearly a decade of experience with beverage-alcohol brands to 3 Tier. Salt Lake City-headquartered Uinta Brewing has tapped Ian Fuller as director of brewing operations.

IRI-defined ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages (RTDs) have recorded nearly $9 billion in sales over the last 52 weeks (ending June 5) in IRI tracked off-premise channels (multi-outlet plus convenience), according to the market research firm.

Monster Beverage Corp. plans to introduce three to four alcoholic beverage brands over the next few quarters, some of which will use brand names acquired from CANarchy and some that will be developed in-house. That slate may not include hard seltzer, as the company playing in the broader FMB space and, potentially, spirit-based RTD canned cocktails.

Since a jury awarded Stone Brewing a $56 million verdict on March 25 in its trademark infringement lawsuit against Molson Coors over a 2017 Keystone Light rebrand that separated “Key” and “Stone” on cans and packaging, the two companies have buried one another in post-trial filings and motions.

Tax equalization, expanded direct-to-consumer shipping and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts are key focuses for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) in 2022, president and CEO Chris Swonger detailed in a press briefing Wednesday during the trade group’s annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Last week, premium whiskey Uncle Nearest announced its third in a series of investments designed to create a tangible shift in the funding inequities for BIPOC-owned businesses. It comes at a time when other Black founders and business leaders are also making strides to celebrate Black people’s historical contributions to spirits and build more Black-owned legacy beverage businesses.

Molson Coors issued a “voluntary withdrawal” of some SKUs of Coors Light and Keystone Light last week, a spokesperson told Brewbound.

Boston Beer Company has launched its first-ever media campaign to support Hard MTN Dew, its ready-to-drink, fermented sugar-brew produced through a licensing partnership with PepsiCo.

Leaders of Chicago-based Moor’s Brewing Company share how their participation in a residency program for Black-owned breweries at Haymarket Brewing helped grow their fledgling business. This conversation took place during the first Brew Talks meetup of 2022 in Minneapolis during the Craft Brewers Conference in May.

The Coca-Cola Company is accelerating its push into beverage alcohol with today’s announcement of a new global partnership with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey to release a ready-to-drink cocktail.