Top Features

From class-action suits over Fireball to disputes over jalapeño-flavored Tequila, this year’s bev-alc legal drama was, in a word, spicy.

This year’s top spirits headlines capture an industry in transition: major distribution shifts, sudden closures, shocking lawsuits, the race to win an emerging category, and of course, at least one celebrity closing a deal. Here are the top 10 BevNET spirits stories, as ranked by popularity.

As the leader of California’s second-largest craft brewery – and one that sells more than 80% of its volume in its home market – Firestone Walker CEO Nick Firestone is uniquely qualified to discuss how trends in craft’s largest market are affecting its biggest suppliers.

Amidst all the fast-growing beverage categories and trends, there’s only one that’s facing a ticking clock towards extinction. The future of the thriving cannabis beverage industry, specifically hemp-derived THC drinks that can be sold outside of adult-use regulated channels, is under intense pressure following November’s decision by Congress to effectively ban all hemp-derived products even… Read more »

Hopefully a lot of you had “A bottle o’ Beam” on your Christmas lists, as it sounds like there’s quite a bit of it to be had out there.

In the December 2025 Brewbound Quarterly On-Premise Report, NIQ data reveals a market where growth is increasingly concentrated in specific outlets, formats, and styles, while once-reliable channels quietly lose ground.

Editor’s Note: The below news items were initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter December 22-26. Not an Insider? Become one today to get earlier access to what’s going on in the industry. CGA: 40% Consumers Plan to Take Part in Dry January; Half of Gen Z to Participate Two-in-five consumers plan to take part… Read more »

Total Wine & More has named retail veteran Ryan Ross its new CEO, concluding a four-month search.

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re looking back on a year’s worth of the Brewbound Podcast and all the acquisitions, distribution shakeups and innovation plans we chatted about, as well as all the wonderful guests that joined us.

Five months after placing a winning bid for Alamo Beer Company, Australia-based private equity firm SKJ Capital has finalized its acquisition of the San Antonio-based craft brewery, SKJ announced today.

As alcohol sales have remained strained for years on end, the emergence of mainstream, legal hemp-based beverages has been a major boon for adult beverage retailers. Jon Halper, owner and CEO of retail chain Top Ten Liquors, is one of them.

Many bars and restaurants close their doors December 25, but the Christmas holiday still historically provides a boost for bev-alc sales in the on-premise, according to CGA, the on-premise arm of market research firm NIQ.

A few major beer category brands are clearly on the nice list this year. In his latest weekly report (data ending December 14), Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon noted that Constellation Bands’ Modelo returned to growth thanks to “perhaps a bit of holiday magic delivering early.”

The Clean Alcohol Collective (CAC), co-founded by Meredith Mills-Merritt, founder of ready-to-drink (RTD) brand The Original Southside, and Conor Begley, co-founder of Father’s Brewing, launched this month as a coalition of alcohol brands offering greater ingredient transparency and shared formulation standards.