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.
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.
Blake’s Beverage Co. is looking to be a leader in not just hard cider, but all “fruit-forward fourth category innovation,” founder and CEO Andrew Blake told Brewbound.
U.K. brand MOTH is seizing on demand for the only bev-alc category still growing: premium, ready-to-drink cocktails.
Two independent ready-to-drink (RTD) brands are betting Americans are ready to mix their wine with cola. Little Sun’s Calimocho and Wine and Cola, two Southern California-based companies inspired by the Spanish staple cocktail Kalimotxo, have hit the market recently with different spins on the liquid, branding and sales strategy.
Liquid Death founder Mike Cessario is partnering with Sazerac to launch Mr. Fancy, a new RTD canned sparkling wine.
The spiked sports drink gold rush is on, but two players have already established themselves at the top of the burgeoning “vodka + ade” drink segment. Following the success of Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka, Stateside has another hit in its portfolio with the addition of Super Lyte, which launched earlier this year.
Several members of The Finnish Long Drink’s sales force have announced the elimination of their roles in the wake of the ready-to-drink cocktail’s (RTD) acquisition by Mark Anthony Brands earlier this year.
Verlaine, the Lower East Side bar synonymous with New York’s lychee martini, is about to see whether two decades of happy hour fame can translate into retail sales.
As it bolsters its core seasonal craft beer lineup with occasion-driven variety packs, 38-year-old Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) also has several irons in the beyond-beer fire. Earlier this month, Great Lakes announced the launch of aSplash, a ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail produced in collaboration with Columbus, Ohio-based Watershed Distillery, the Buckeye State’s largest craft spirits producer.
Mission Craft Cocktails’ Pickle-Rita, a gag that was supposed to die on April Fools’ Day, is headed to grocery stores in September.
YOSHI Matcha Liqueur is moving from a two-state test market to national distribution in under a year, testing its thesis that the popularity of espresso martinis and matcha prove there’s demand for green tea-laced cocktails.
The latest spirits distribution headlines include RTD gin cocktail The Original Southside landing in major retailers, a wave of Southern Glazer’s (SGWS) additions spanning vodka, rum, and scotch, and distributors scooping up new territory in the wake of Republic National Distributing Company’s (RNDC) collapse, among other moves.
Rhinegeist Brewing’s Cincy Light line has crossed categories with the debut of Cincy Splash, a vodka-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail. The vodka sodas are available in three flavors: Pineapple, Black Cherry and Peach. The 4.5% ABV, 100-calories drinks are packaged in 355 ml slim cans and sold in single-flavor 4-packs and variety 8-packs, according to a press release.
There were many kinds of party drinks before 2010, but we’d bet none of them came in colorful plastic orb-shaped containers. BuzzBallz, the Sazerac-owned ready-to-drink (RTD) party prop, doesn’t just stand out for its spherical shape, but for what it represents about how people are drinking these days: with entertaining, high-ABV, convenient formats.
Suntory Global Spirits-owned -196 is leaning on immersive cultural experiences to build on the success of its Japanese canned chu-hi cocktail in the U.S.
Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter August 6-7, including headlines from A-B, Tilray Brands, Departed Soles and more.
