RTD

Plant-based beverage maker Elmhurst 1925 has always been ambitious in its broad approach to innovation, be it through milk alternatives, protein drinks or sour cream. Now, it’s going hard.

The time is right for founders of scaled ready-to-drink (RTD) brands to consider exits with the emergence of a “classic seller’s market,” Arlington Capital Advisors managing director Townsend Ziebold declared earlier this month at the Beer Marketer’s Insights business conference.

Most founders build to scale, but Adam Kost, founder of ready-to-drink brand Dirty Shirley, built to prove. In a saturated market, Dirty Shirley was structured from day one as a market-validation project that was lean, disciplined, design-led and deliberately positioned for an early strategic exit – which it got.

The founders who built NÜTRL into Canada’s top vodka soda are putting that playbook to use again, this time with tequila.

Brown-Forman and Sazerac are doubling down on ready-to-drink (RTD) with brand extensions and new-to-world brands launching today.

Sam Calagione is in a creative groove. The Dogfish Head co-founder is on the verge of releasing a collaboration full-proof whiskey in collaboration with Rolling Stone magazine. He recently wrote a column for the magazine on the 1976 overlap of punk, hip-hop and craft beer. And his 31-year-old craft brewery finished Q1 up, still trucking behind its Grateful Dead collaboration beers and spirits-based canned cocktails.

Ready-to-drink canned cocktail brand Carbliss is open to potential acquirers, co-founder Adam Kroener made clear Wednesday at Beer Marketer’s Insights spring meeting. “Everything’s for sale,” Kroener said during a panel conversation that included SpikedAde co-founder and CEO Jason Cohen and Happy Dad co-founder and CEO Sam Shahidi.

Entering its third summer, Right Coast Spirits’ Italian Ice is riding high. The ready-to-drink (RTD) bottled cocktail more than doubled year-over-year (YoY) during summer 2025, increasing volume 101% compared to summer 2024, Right Coast director of commercial strategy Jon Schwartz told Brewbound.

Sazerac-owned BuzzBallz is the dominant brand in the RTD segment. BuzzBallz’ dollar sales increased 65.6%, to more than $569.3 million, in Circana-tracked off-premise retailers for the 52-week period ending April 19.

Leapfrogging was the theme across beverage-alcohol last week, as several upstarts jumped over their stalwart peers in dollar sales, according to the latest weekly report from market research firm Circana. In the beer category, Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw out-earned Molson Coors’ Miller Lite by $218,720 during the week ending May 10. In spirits, Anheuser-Busch… Read more »

While off-premise bev-alc scans have been on a rollercoaster this year (one with admittedly mild drops compared to 2025), the on-premise has been more steady, trending between flat and up 1% over the last few months.

The alleged drains on beverage-alcohol in recent years have been well-documented: health and wellness, legal cannabis, consumers’ propensity for the couch instead of the bar, Generation’s Z disinterest, GLP-1 drugs. But one other driver – consumers’ perceived value for price – may not be mentioned as much as the others, and suppliers can learn from… Read more »

As RNDC continues to sell its operations across the country, this month’s distribution moves see independent and major brands scattering to new partnerships. Meanwhile, a wave of ready-to-drink (RTD) brands are pushing into new markets from Wisconsin to Southern California.

Sazerac will acquire an equity interest in SIPMARGS, the ready-to-drink (RTD) sparkling margarita brand backed by social media personality Alix Earle and Palm Tree Crew, the company announced today. It will also enter into an exclusive distribution relationship with the brand.