Beverage Business Briefing

About Beverage Business Briefing

Stay ahead of the trends shaping the world of wine, spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks. Each episode delivers a quick, insightful look at the latest developments in the beverage industry—from distributor shake-ups and retail strategies to brand launches, consumer trends, and regulatory updates. Whether you’re a retailer, supplier, or industry enthusiast, Beverage Business Briefing keeps you informed and ready to make smarter decisions in today’s fast-changing marketplace.

Publisher

Carlos DeOliveira

Category

arts · business · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Sept 2025

Latest episode

30 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

58 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Oct 2026

   Reyes Lands Bacardi as Volumes Keep Sliding

   - **Demand:** NIQ's four weeks to October 17 show alcohol dollars down 2.4% and volume down 4.4%, so price and mix are doing the work. Beer is down 5.0% in volume, wine down 4.9%, spirits down 2.3%, and prepared cocktails are the lone growth category. - **Beer:** Evercore has US beer volume at negative 4.4%. AB InBev is gaining share, and Constellation is ahead of the category. Molson Coors and Boston Beer are weak. - **Earnings:** AB InBev's global beat came with a soft US, with volumes down 2.5%. Becle's profit fell 85%, MGP's brown goods fell 47%, and Campari and Rémy Cointreau both show a US soft spot. Heineken Americas grew volume 2.1%. Diageo reports November 5. - **Tilray:** Cutting brewing sites from 10 to 6, launching Carlsberg, Carlsberg Elephant and Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc production on January 1, and absorbing BrewDog assets. Jefferies target is $13 and ROTH target is $9. - **Distribution:** RNDC's liquidation plan was confirmed, Reyes will take Bacardi in 11 markets from January 1, 2027, and Columbia Distributing built a four-state footprint. Constellation, Mark Anthony and Sierra Nevada exits sparked a Colorado franchise fight. The FTC settled with Southern Glazer's. - **Regulation:** Hemp THC restrictions and a 0.4 mg cap arrive in December (the key date is December 11). DC's 10-cent container deposit bill (B26-0058) could become a national precedent. DtC spirits shipping is allowed in only 10 states plus DC. - **Consumers and health:** GLP-1 households spend about 7% less on alcohol. Gen X is drinking more while millennials cut back. Multiple health studies and the WHO are adding headwinds, and nicotine alternatives are rising. - **Wine:** Prosecco beats Champagne in US sparkling value. Brand Finance rankings show Moët and Veuve Clicquot up while Penfolds and Beringer fall. California estate deals continue, South Australia's Canada exports are booming, and Christie's results were strong. - **Spirits distress:** Uncle Nearest remains in receivership and the Sixth Circuit appeal is set for December 11. WhistlePig joined the American Whiskey Association. Sazerac created Sazerac Next. - **Non-alcohol:** Coca-Cola beat and raised guidance. Energy is up 15.5%, and Monster is losing share to Alani Nu, Ghost and Bloom. - **Retail and restaurants:** DoorDash is buying Instacart for about $17 billion. Also in play are the ABL campaign, Kroger's expansion, Walmart's digital shelf labels, the Dollar General suit, Couche-Tard's Cumberland Farms bid, the Celsius suit, and Landry's and Ciao Hospitality bids for Fireman Hospitality assets. - **Industry:** Marvin Shanken of Wine Spectator died at 83. Former Nebraska liquor chief Hobert Rupe pleaded guilty to fraud and extortion.

2. 

   23 Oct 2026

   December 11 and the Hemp Cliff Nobody Wants to Talk About

   - **Market pulse:** Total alcohol dollars down 2.4 percent to 8.1B and volume down 4.5 percent to 156.9M cases (NIQ, four weeks ending Oct 10). Prepared cocktails were the only segment up in dollars (plus 1.7 percent). Beer was down 3.4 percent, wine down 3.2 percent, spirits down 2.1 percent. - **Spirits:** Pernod Q1 organic sales down 0.9 percent to ?2.23B (US down 10 percent, China down 25 percent, India up 19 percent). Destocking continues through FY27. Diageo cut about 2,000 roles. Citi modeled Diageo Q1 FY27 at negative 0.1 percent (North America negative 5.8 percent). IWSR found $100-plus spirits down 6 percent in the US. India is both an opportunity (UK trade deal) and a risk (bulk Scotch probes). - **Uncle Nearest:** Receivership sale hearings, a possible Chapter 11, three buyers in talks, and a Sixth Circuit appeal brief due Nov 12. MB Roland Distillery goes to auction Dec 7 to 14. - **Beer earnings:** Boston Beer's revenue missed (down 3 percent to $520.1M) but adjusted EPS of $4.37 beat. Guidance was raised to $9 to $10.50 on lower tariffs and flat selling expenses. Depletions fell 5 percent, and Koch flagged a real price cut of about 200 basis points across the category. - **Category scans:** Cider and NA beer are growing. Domestic premium is down sharply, craft is easing (negative 3.3 percent in dollars per Circana), and total beer improved to negative 2.1 percent. - **Constellation:** September depletions turned positive, with about 8M cases overshipped in H1 and the Veracruz delay adding about $75M of depreciation in FY28. Hispanic consumer pressure tracks ICE enforcement. SpikedAde reached about 2M cases. Savings exceed $600M. BofA is Underperform, Jefferies Hold. - **Distributors:** NBWA convention themes were flat-to-slightly-up goals, RTD and NA as lifelines, caution on brand collecting after the RNDC collapse, and cannibalization risks. - **Franchise law:** Titan v. Cervecera (Florida law overrides a 30-day termination clause). Coors Distributing v. Crown and Constellation in Colorado (order expected by Oct 29, termination Dec 13). - **Consumer research:** RBC and Aaru find low-income drinkers are cyclical and high-income drinkers are structural. GLP-1 use is concentrated in high-income households, and non-alcoholic and "no hangover" are mass-market opportunities. - **Wine demand:** Value down 3.2 percent and volume down 4.9 percent. NA wine up 18.5 percent. Wine Group, Delicato, Trinchero and Gallo down, Deutsch up. Josh, LaMarca, Avaline and Whitehaven rising. - **Wine supply:** California removed 47,229 acres. Bulk wine is oversupplied, and Italian cellar stocks are up 14.2 percent. Treasury Wine is cutting brands from 76 to fewer than 30. City Winery's Dorf reports vineyards offered at 50 percent or more below values of three years ago. Concha y Toro is open to acquisitions, and Wine Institute launched Project One Voice. - **DTC and tasting rooms:** Oregon DTC up 4 percent, Washington down 8 percent, Napa visitation down 3 percent. Top Oregon wineries are growing faster, but club membership is shrinking. Napa and Michigan zoning fights continue. - **Legal and regulatory:** Supreme Court declined Ohio's shipping appeal (Wilson v. Miller), leaving three conflicting rulings. SCOTUS will hear McNutt on home distilling. Hemp ban deadline is Dec 11, and Illinois enforcement starts Nov 12. Costco Kirkland tequila suit dismissed. Cesari v. Peju petition. Steffanci v. Deutsch jury selection Oct 27. NY SLA chair donation controversy. TTB trade practice reminder. - **Control states and events:** NABCA conference in Biloxi, Pennsylvania's low uptake of 4 a.m. permits, experiential retail events, DHL AI gains, Ohio Liquor Best of the Best. - **Deals and people:** González Byass USA and Villa Marcello, Brother's Bond joins the American Whiskey Association, Claudia Schubert chairs Pollen Projects (Sylva), VIP layoffs, Guala Closures buys G3 screwcap equipment. - **Retail and private label:** Kroger's $5B price investment and 7 to 11 percent EPS growth plan, Walmart and Costco gaining on tariff refunds, Kroger and Albertsons trial, Olive Garden collective action. Private label is growing through Bettergoods, Good and Gather and Our Brands, and store brands lead AI citations. - **Soft drinks and adjacent:** PepsiCo and Taco Bell renew through 2036 after the KFC loss, and Elliott pressure on PepsiCo. Vita Coco beat and raise, but freight worries. Philip Morris International beat, with ZYN shipments up 4.1 percent. Cronos closes CanAdelaar. - **Big takeaway:** Price, mix and cost control are holding profits while volume erodes. Growth is in RTDs, NA, cider and private label. Legal and distribution rules are shifting fast. The holiday off-take, hemp deadline and key court rulings are the next tests.

3. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Surfside Passes Cutwater as RTDs Jump 23 Percent

   - **Spirits near a floor:** Pernod Ricard Q1 FY27 sales were ?2.234B, with US down 10% on destocking. Jameson, Kahlúa, Skrewball and Malibu were bright spots. India grew 19% on pipeline fill ahead of a possible IPO. - **Brown-Forman:** US is about 42% of sales. Gross margin of 60.2% is likely the year's peak, with pressure through FY27 and a roughly two-year whiskey inventory clearance. No new restructuring planned. - **Spirit tracker data:** Jefferies shows value at -1.7% (+3.0% with RTDs). RTDs grew 23.3%, and Surfside passed Cutwater as top contributor. Citi shows prepared cocktails +23.4% against core spirits -1.2% in sales. - **Category movers:** Tequila grew on lower prices (Lunazul +39.7%, Lalo +75.9%, Espolon +14.1%). Scotch, Irish and American whiskey improved. Canadian whisky and Crown Royal stayed weak. - **Diageo and peers:** Diageo's $1B restructuring and Cameronbridge strikes, with Q1 FY27 trading Nov 5. LVMH's Moët Hennessy beat on a Hennessy RTS and Chandon. Rémy reports Oct 28. Proximo closed Great Jones in Manhattan. - **Beer:** Total US beer volume ran about -3.9%. ABI's Michelob grew while Bud Light fell 11.3%. Heineken USA was the laggard. Constellation, Molson Coors, Boston Beer and Brown-Forman improved on a four-week basis. - **Colorado franchise fight:** Coors Distributing is seeking an injunction against Constellation/Crown Imports. Mark Anthony and Sierra Nevada are also leaving CDC for Reyes' RBG. Judge Espinosa's order is due Oct 29. - **RNDC breakup:** Great Lakes took Michigan, Martignetti took 17 control-state brokerages and Girardi, Keg 1 River City took Kentucky, and Reyes took Western Maryland Distributing. NBWA's convention put the "whole deck" message on stage. - **Courts and enforcement:** SCOTUS denied cert on Ohio retail wine shipping, leaving a circuit split. Home distilling decision expected Oct 19. FTC proposed a Southern Glazer's Robinson-Patman settlement. Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on wholesaler appointments, including Kirkland Signature. - **Wine:** Treasury is cutting from roughly 75 brands to 30 to 35, with a US strategic review. Gundlach Bundschu filed Chapter 11, and Adelaida and 86 Napa licenses are in distress. NIQ shows wine -2.1% in dollars, with NA wine +19.1% and sparkling +3.3%. - **Distressed assets:** Uncle Nearest is nearing a Chapter 11 sale. Passaggio is closing its tasting room. Pacific Rim, SIMI and Iris are under WarRoom Cellars. - **Hemp:** Federal ban after Dec 11. Minnesota liquor stores are cutting orders, and Total Wine is leaving shelf space blank. - **Retail and consumer:** KFC switching to Coca-Cola in January. Kroger cutting 3,000 corporate jobs. Albertsons pulled guidance, with the Kroger trial Oct 19. Costco comps strong. No/low is additive, and GLP-1 effects were flagged. - **Other:** MGP becomes Sempreon (ticker CASK) on Nov 2. 71% of bourbon exports ship in bulk. Hormuz freight costs are up. Ontario's LCBO is sitting on $79.1M of unsold US alcohol. Campari chairman faces a ?1.29B tax case.

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