Spirits

Fall’s ready-to-drink (RTD) releases push ABV higher and lean into the season. Cocktails from Absolut and Carbliss amp up the buzz, while pumpkin spiced drinks, chocolate martinis and Cosmo riffs land ahead of the holidays.

Whole Foods Market is back with its annual look at expected trends for the year ahead, and while the grocer focuses mainly on food, there are some signals of where beverage could be heading next.

Pernod Ricard closed its first quarter of fiscal 2027 with sales down 10% in the U.S., where it blamed consumers’ affordability concerns for the drop. The French spirits giant used its earnings call today to share a read on the U.S. market and reiterate that it continues to seek growth in smaller, affordable formats.

Check out news items initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter October 8-9, including headlines from SpikedAde, Hardywood Park, Starr Hill and Athletic.

With functional beverages driving purchases in the adult non-alcoholic (ANA) alternatives set, NKD Distillery is heeding the call with its first ready-to-drink (RTD) line infused with kanna.

U.S. craft distillery closures outpaced openings for the first time, according to the 2026 Craft Spirits Data Project released today by the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and Park Street.

Tröegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, Pennsylvania) has extended its push into the world of distilling with its first bottled spirits releases.

Sazerac has signed a binding agreement to acquire Berentzen-Gruppe AG, the German schnapps producer it was reportedly pursuing last week. The deal gives Sazerac a different approach to add international volume than its failed Brown-Forman pursuit.

Sazerac is in talks to acquire German schnapps producer, Berentzen-Gruppe AG, according to a report from Bloomberg News. The move could extend an acquisition run that has added a UK vodka brand and a Kentucky distillery in the past three months alone.

Diageo, the first major spirits company to scale non-alc spirits alternatives, is building a mid-strength range in the UK.

Rohan Radhakrishnan and Fabian Clark’s first attempt at building a mid-proof spirits category didn’t go as planned. Now, they’re trying again.

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.

August’s ready-to-drink releases include a Bay Area canned cocktail brand suiting up with the 49ers and a top sparkling wine brand making its RTD debut, plus several fall-themed cocktails and one controversial breakfast-flavored libation. Here’s what’s new on shelf.

Diageo CEO Sir Dave Lewis has refused to share publicly the number of jobs the company is cutting as part of its ongoing $1 billion restructuring effort. However, the company’s annual report released Tuesday revealed Diageo cut its workforce by more than 6% in its 2026 fiscal year.