The once-booming flavored malt beverage (FMB) segment is “showing some concerning declarations over recent weeks,” Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) founder Bump Williams noted in a recent report. FMB volume gains dropped by half – from +2.2%, to +1.1% – from the four-week period to the one-week period ending May 18, according to NIQ retail measurement data cited by BWC.
In Japan, some of the country’s oldest sake brewers are eagerly awaiting a decision next month on their bid for the rice wine to win recognition as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, a commendation reflecting the depth to which the beverage is tied to national pride and tradition. Other ambitious brewers, meanwhile, are just as eager to buck tradition altogether.
Brown-Forman, the leading exporter of U.S. spirits to the world, beat analysts’ expectations in its latest quarterly earnings report, thanks to a jump in demand from its more premium whiskies. But the president and CEO of the Jack Daniels Whiskey maker cautioned that with potential tariffs looming it was facing “so many potential scenarios and unknowns.”
Spirits giant Sazerac manages approximately 500 brands across beer, wine and spirits, yet president and CEO Jake Wenz insists the company is still “focused.”
After 18 months of learning about the U.S. bev-alc market, California-based hard kombucha brand Mate Maker is ready to expand its portfolio and its distribution, and wants consumers to come along for the ride.
Ready-to-drink cocktails are now allowed at more retailers and restaurants in Pennsylvania, but that doesn’t mean drinkers in the Keystone State are cracking open an array of canned cocktails.
It’s been almost two years since Bluebird Hardwater launched, and as one of the first canned beverages combining spirits with flat mineral water, it’s now in good company.
Ready-to-drink (RTD) mimosa and sangria producer Ohza has been acquired by FX Matt, the companies announced today. The acquisition brings a wine-based offering to FX Matt’s growing stable of RTD and beyond beer brands, which includes McKenzie’s Hard Cider, ‘Merican Mule spirits-based RTDs and Right Coast Spirits vodka- and tequila-based RTDs.
The Coca-Cola Company is expanding its reach in bev-alc with another ready-to-drink canned cocktail (RTD).
Across oversaturated retail shelves, bev-alc brands are under pressure to stand out.
In premium spirits and canned cocktails, brands have learned that calling out unique ingredients and connecting to audiences through their own cultural stories is key to positioning. They’re also balancing bolder looks with conveying brand values, health benefits and taste without over-messaging. Many have gone back to the drawing board, honing their brand prepositions and packaging.
Spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) products will face a challenge to maintain double-digit growth rates in 2025, including a decluttering of items at retail in order for the segment to remain healthy, according to Bump Williams Consulting’s (BWC) monthly report.
Sazerac-owned BuzzBallz has selected the Reyes Beverage Group as its distributor in California, Illinois, Indiana and South Carolina, the multistate wholesaler announced today.
Stevenson announced the news Friday on LinkedIn, posting a photo of herself with JuneShine co-founders Greg Serraro and Forrest Dein, and writing: “Could not be more excited to join Greg, Forrest and the JuneShine Team! So many exciting things to come!”
Party punch maker BeatBox hosted its first national sales meeting in Houston, which had the feel of a Meow Wolf, with a faux convenience store decked out in neon, a trippy giant mushroom-covered hard tea garden, a Las Vegas-themed area with casino games, a lab for new innovations with “scientists” that looked strikingly like Rick of Rick and Morty Adult Swim fame and the usual presentations about the coming year.
Ever since Diageo’s acquisition of Casamigos made George Clooney an overnight billionaire, there’s been a race to the shelf from celebrity-backed brands. But with the wider spirits downturn, how have these business models evolved and where do they have an edge, if at all?
