Beyond Beer

Suntory Global spirits has appointed Davin Nugent, a former Anheuser-Busch InBev and Mark Anthony Brands executive, as president of global ready-to-drink (RTD).

Here are some news items that were initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter January 5-6, including updates from Uncle Nearest, NIQ, Blake’s Beverage and more.

2 Towns Ciderhouse is preparing to add one more town to its name. The Corvallis, Oregon-based hard cider maker will acquire Seattle Cider’s brand, joining two of the most prominent cider names in the Pacific Northwest.

Thanks to significant social media investments, the name of Willie’s Remedy+ often precedes it in new markets. “You can literally walk into a market with no POS, no nothing – we haven’t launched at all – and because of the investment that we made on social, people know about us before we even get there,” said Whitney Stevenson, president and CCO of Willie’s parent company JuneShine Brands.

New funding could be a sign of optimism from the investor class as hemp-derived THC drinks await regulatory clarity.

Dollar sales growth from several key decades-old brands buoyed the beer category in 2025, according to the latest monthly report from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC).

The adult non-alcoholic (ANA) beverage category is undergoing a significant shift, as brands navigate evolving investment climates, retail skepticism and rising consumer demand in pursuit of sustainable growth.

From class-action suits over Fireball to disputes over jalapeño-flavored Tequila, this year’s bev-alc legal drama was, in a word, spicy.

This year’s top spirits headlines capture an industry in transition: major distribution shifts, sudden closures, shocking lawsuits, the race to win an emerging category, and of course, at least one celebrity closing a deal. Here are the top 10 BevNET spirits stories, as ranked by popularity.

Amidst all the fast-growing beverage categories and trends, there’s only one that’s facing a ticking clock towards extinction. The future of the thriving cannabis beverage industry, specifically hemp-derived THC drinks that can be sold outside of adult-use regulated channels, is under intense pressure following November’s decision by Congress to effectively ban all hemp-derived products even… Read more »

Hopefully a lot of you had “A bottle o’ Beam” on your Christmas lists, as it sounds like there’s quite a bit of it to be had out there.

Editor’s Note: The below news items were initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter December 22-26. Not an Insider? Become one today to get earlier access to what’s going on in the industry. CGA: 40% Consumers Plan to Take Part in Dry January; Half of Gen Z to Participate Two-in-five consumers plan to take part… Read more »

After five years in operation, Spirited Away, the first non-alcoholic (NA) bottle shop in the U.S., has a new owner.

Stateside Brands, the company responsible for popularizing vodka-based iced tea, is now adding vodka to another beverage: the sports drink.