Beyond Beer

Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. president and CEO Chris Swonger joins to break down the opportunities canned cocktails are creating for beverage-alcohol companies. Swonger also pushes back against the beer industry’s stance against expanded market access and lower excise taxes for these products.

Total bev-alc sales in off-premise channels (multi-outlet plus convenience) declined -4% week-over-week (WoW) in the week ending July 9, which included the July 4 holiday, according to Circana analyst Scott Scanlon.

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.

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?

Five years into business, JuneShine – a Southern California-based hard kombucha and canned cocktail maker – is eying its next chapter, focused on being not just a leader in the segments it participates in, but a competitor in the total bev-alc space.

Blake Lively is the newest celebrity to jump into the booze world, although she’s already had one foot in the door.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ signature album may be “No Way Out,” but Diageo apparently didn’t get the message.

Tepache, a fermented beverage native to Mexico, has been enjoyed south of the border since pre-Columbian times, but to many Americans it’s still an unfamiliar drink, particularly as a commercial product.

Monster’s foray into beverage-alcohol is expanding, as the energy drink maker plans to leverage its early success in FMBs with the launch of Nasty Beast hard iced tea, company leaders shared during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. Monster joins another non-alcoholic beverage juggernaut, AriZona, in launching a hard tea

In 2017 Alix Peabody launched Bev, a Los Angeles-based canned wine and spritz brand, by cashing in her 401(k) to purchase 300 gallons of rosé.

Armed with combined experience at Diageo and JuneShine, the team behind Mate Maker— along with band Rüfüs Du Sol— has big plans for the hard kombucha category.

A crowd gathered in The Lot at Harpoon Brewery in Boston’s Seaport District Saturday, suited up in rain gear. Several attendees adorned pretzel necklaces or matching Hawaiian shirts, others carried custom mini koozies to cradle their aluminum sample cups.

Brown-Forman has announced an agreement to sell Finlandia vodka to Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC) for $220 million.

After an explosive few years, the ready-to-drink rise is showing signs of moderating but larger formats of pre-mixed cocktails may be an emerging growth opportunity, according to NIQ during the company’s C360 conference yesterday.