NIQ: THC Beverages Hit $239M in Mainstream Retail as Half of Adults Interested in Trying
THC beverages reached $239 million in the 52 weeks ending April 4 2026, up 135% versus the prior year, and despite a looming ban, there’s thirst for more.
Read the latest beyond beer news relating to companies involved with RTD cocktails, hard cider, hard seltzer, hard kombucha, spirits, cannabis, and non-alcoholic products. Take a comprehensive look at developments in these evolving sectors, offering valuable insights into the innovations, trends, and market forces shaping the world of beer and beyond.
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THC beverages reached $239 million in the 52 weeks ending April 4 2026, up 135% versus the prior year, and despite a looming ban, there’s thirst for more.
Boston Beer Company has “gotten over the hump as a supplier” and become an “important” part of its wholesalers’ and retailers’ businesses, founder, chairman and CEO Jim Koch told analysts during the company’s Q1 2026 earnings report Thursday evening.
Super Lyte, a vodka-infused, sports-drink inspired refresher, from the makers of Surfside, has depleted 120,000 cases in its first five weeks in the market, with a forecast to hit 1.5 million cases this year.
Touting its new U.S. distribution partnership with Molson Coors as a “revenue growth multiplier,” British mixer brand Fever-Tree saw net sales grow 6% year-over-year to £131.9 million in fiscal 2025, according to its preliminary full-year earnings report released earlier this week.
In time for Opening Day and to mark the brewery’s 30th anniversary, Stone Brewing (Escondido, California) has unveiled a new branded bar next to Section 309 at Petco Park, home of MLB’s San Diego Padres.
Hiyo, the non-alcoholic (NA) social tonic brand with investment from Constellation Brands, will hit nearly 2,000 Target stores across the country.
Diageo’s Casamigos, the O.G. celebrity tequila brand co-founded by George Clooney, is entering ready-to-serve cocktails with a new line of pre-mixed margaritas.
As Congress’s November deadline ticks closer for intoxicating hemp beverage makers, states are not waiting to pass their own regulations on if and where THC drinks can be sold.
Molson Coors has struck a deal to acquire spirits-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail pioneer Atomic Brands, whose Monaco Cocktails entered the then-nascent space in 2012. The deal should come as no surprise, as it aligns with Molson Coors’ goals to expand its beyond beer portfolio, part of the Horizon 2030 plan CEO Rahul Goyal outlined earlier this year.
More than two years after Blake’s Hard Cider, Austin Eastciders and Avid Cider Co. merged under the Blake’s Beverage Co. banner, the companies have found a rhythm that helped make Blake’s the “fastest growing” independent cidery in the U.S.
Sazerac has acquired Dirty Shirley, the ready-to-drink (RTD) vodka-spiked take on the classic Shirley Temple, the company announced Thursday.
Carbliss, the ready-to-drink (RTD) vodka-based cocktail that has become one of the breakout independents in its category, is rolling out a malt-based tallboy across seven Midwestern states.
The legal battle over Uncle Nearest has taken another dramatic turn: Founder Fawn Weaver’s attempt to use bankruptcy court to wrest control of the bourbon brand from a court-appointed receiver lasted less than 48 hours before a judge threw the petition out.
Breakthru Beverage Group, one of the largest beverage distributors in the U.S., is jumping into the intoxicating hemp drink business.
The founders of Mission Craft Cocktails, the Southern California brand built on bar-strength bottled cocktails made with premium ingredients, see their company as a David in a segment of Goliaths. In their sling: a bet on economies of scale, format innovation and a purpose-driven brand.
The founder of Uncle Nearest has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the troubled bourbon company defaulted on more than $100 million in loans and went into receivership.
Sixteen leaders from 12 bev-alc brands (and adjacent) were named to Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500. Representing craft beer are Holidaily Brewing (Golden, Colorado) founder Karen Hertz, Hot Plate Brewing (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) founder Sarah Real and Talea Beer Co. (Brooklyn, New York) co-founders LeAnn Darland and Tara Hankinson.