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Boring boring boring, brand laddering, tribal beers

Sometimes, you get the feeling that bev/alc brands are trying to strip the joy out of everything.

That might be a preachy non-alc business that’s trading on virtue’ or a company hell-bent on adding extra ‘healthy’ ingredients to their liquid. Or it might be Heineken and their Heineken 0.0 ‘ultimate’ – which has no calories, no alcohol, no sugar, and is being introduced to a set number of states after a successful pilot in the US last year.

It’s hard to know who Heineken is appealing to here. GLP-1 users? Health nuts? People that feel the 69 calories in a normal Heineken 0.0 is just too much excitement to handle?

In a semi-related story, Drinks Trade published a story about ‘better for you’ RTDs, for example vodka mixed with electrolytes. So good so virtuous, but when are drinks brands going to embrace being fun and a bit naughty again?

Brands that aren’t venturing into this new, purist area of drinking are experimenting with high and low - and we mean culture and liquid. On the one hand you’ve got Johnny Walker launching a more affordable version, and on the other you’ve got Remy Cointreau setting up a new, more high-end ‘Prestige’ division.

The NY Post says jelly shots are back (lowbrow?), meanwhile non-alc wine brand Wednesday’s Domaine is actually moving into alc, with a range of 6.5% wines (high brow going sorta midbrow?)

Brands seem to be deciding that the space they inhabit is more of a sliding scale than a fixed zone, and that’s freeing them to make some interesting plays.

Finally, we wanted to talk about beer for a second. If we’re being honest beer, right now, does feel a little bit like the awkward +1 at the wedding. Nevertheless, beer brands are really sliding into their own niches, and using that to power their growth.

For Sam Adams that means doubling down on sports and some very local love; for Girl Beer it’s about fruity, light beers that are very much being marketed towards (you guessed it) women; for Garage Beer it’s about being the joker in the room; and for Tuborg it’s about losing themselves in the world of Gen Z in a very ‘How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?’ kind of way.

Keep scrolling for some spiky little dopamine shots of news:

BUY BUY BUY, SELL SELL SELL

-RTD brand BeatBox Beverages now belongs to Anheuser-Busch InBev. It cost them $490m. (this actually happened in Feb, so apologies for being a little late to the party).

Our take: not entirely surprising. It lets ABInBev tap into a massive format trend (RTDs), it borrows a bit of BeatBox’s cool, and it harnesses some of that zany, barely restrained, youthful spirit that people love about BuzzBallz.

-Everyone in the world knows that Tilray bought Brewdog. Andrew Wardlaw, who runs consumer research group MMR has an interesting take, saying the story is less about the deal, and more about what it means around alcohol’s relevance, and the importance of portfolios.

-Notorious canned brand Four Loko is allegedly exploring a sale, with a potential price tag of $400m.

-Don’t believe the ‘no-one’s drinking’ narrative. Brown-Forman (which owns Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve, El Jimador and Chambord) is actually doing pretty ok, thanks.

-Sazerac just bought Dirty Shirley.

THE NO-HANGOVER CLUB

-“My experience with non-alcoholic wine – and the feedback from most of my industry colleagues – has been overwhelmingly negative,” says food and travel journo Vicki Denig in a piece questioning the perceived NA wine ‘boom’. She gets into the weeds of why it’s falling short. (TLDR: it’s really hard to make them taste good).

-Despite the above, plenty of brands are still trying to crack non-alc wine, including Butter Wines which has launched ButterZero.

-0% Peroni now comes in lemon and blood orange.

Our take: now that big brands have found their 0% legs, they’re starting to experiment with flavours (Heineken recently launched nectarine juniper and lime versions of its 0.0% beer, and Chouffe also launched a cherry-flavoured 0%). This adds a bit of extra novelty to the category, to keep people engaged.

-Welcome to the world, alcohol-free Lillet.

-Also welcome to the world George Clooney’s new alcohol-free beer brand. BTW, is Americana back?

-Willie Nelson only needed a year to make his THC brand a $80m business. “This story is as good as it gets, and there’s no one more authentic than Willie,” says Forrest Dein, co-founder of holding company JuneShine. “There’s no one who’s more synonymous with cannabis.”

-Liquid Ventures is a new investment house dedicated to low- and no-, and bringing along some impressive industry expertise.

Time for a QUICK PAUSE - we want to work with you, the founders, investors, brand-builders and marketers that all read THE NEW RULES. Here’s how:

SPORTS BOOZE

-We said it was coming, and here it is. Alc-free beer brand Belgian Balance seems to be positioning itself next to the sport world, and Ad Age just published a piece about the growing category of brands that look like sports drinks but actually contain alcohol.

IT’S ALL ABOUT NOVELTY BABY

-The Spirits Business has a story about the world’s coldest martini, with London’s Bob Bob Ricard mixing up some extremely cold cocktails. Is it a gimmick? Yes. Would we still order it? A thousand times yes.

-Speaking of novelty, how about some Nowadays THC at the Indycar Grand Prix?

Our take: makes sense. Pop up where your people already are, harness serendipity, give them a chance to try you, be a bit novel….

-And what about this epic BuzzBallz activation in London, featuring a 10-foot gacha machine? Very fun. Very them.

GOOD LOOKS

-Just love Aperol’s updated packaging, and their willingness to lean into that almost-neon orange. Clever brand.

-Cast your eyes over this incredible packaging for Penfolds. Truly quite beautiful

IT’S ABOUT THE ADJACENTS

-There’s the alcohol brands, and then there’s the rich stream of brands that live in beautiful harmony with them, like the mixers. Stoli just re-released its ginger beer (first launched in 2014 for its Stoli Mule cocktail). It’s got a spicy new recipe that includes ginger, chili and caffeine (majorly hot ingredient of the moment).

-Speaking of adjacent, where does AI live in the world of bev/alc? According to Bon Appétit, it’s definitely not as sommelier.

-And what about snacks? What role do they play alongside the low and no movement?

-Brand accelerator Brand Venture plans to scale lemon and lime concentrate alternative Blessed Zest. We told you the side business is fruitful.

TEQUILA CORNER

-Tequila tequila, everyone loves tequila. The Guardian tries to get to the bottom of its surge in popularity. If you’re good and you read all the way to the bottom, you’re rewarded with some cocktail recipes.

-Guillermo del Toro made a film for Patrón.

COCKTAIL TIME

-Pure argument fuel here: VinePair has thoughts on the 10 most important cocktails of the 21st century. Yes the Negroni and the Espresso Martini are on there.

-Ok, that was your classic cocktails. Now read about Buffalo Wild Wings’ Frankenstein-esque Espresso Proteini. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

FOR YOUR READING LIST

-Some interesting reflections in this piece by Suntory’s François Bazini, on how what works so well for one bev brand doesn’t always translate.

-Amidst the doomer stories about wine, we spotted this one bright spot: a tech founder who’s taking a punt on wine-making with a gloriously devil-may-care attitude. “If Gallo is down and Constellation is down and they’re ripping out 10,000 acres, so what? I don’t care.”

AND FINALLY

-“The number of brands that can be built is far larger than the number that can be sold.” Sober (forgive us) thoughts on why many, many bev brands may be unacquirable.

-How do you annoy a woman that drinks whiskey? You ask her one simple question, according to Substacker and writer Becky Paskin.

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Brewdog seeks a buyer, fizzy red, nostalgia reigns

The big news this month? Brewdog is up for sale. Ten or so years back, they were the beer business, but in recent times there’s been a palpable sense that the brand just isn’t landing anymore. It’s a reminder that even the highest flyers aren’t a sure thing.

The story is moving fast (the latest is that Danish brewer Royal Unibrew is interested in acquiring them, among various others), and there’s a lot of opinions on where things went wrong.

Brewdog themselves say it’s down to a “challenging economic climate”, which may be true, but it’s hard to forget about the various controversies they’ve faced over the years (alleged treatment of staff, the solid gold can scandal, the ‘beer for girls’, the departure of its founder and other senior figures, the Equity for Punks scheme).

Our take: it’s not over for them yet, but they’re going to need a smart buyer and probably a smart brand team to think about what the business actually stands for and how it communicates that to people – as well as how it moves beyond lingering bad feeling. Craft beer brands are now a dime a dozen, and finding distinctiveness of any kind is HARD.

In other news, is sparkling red about to have a moment? At the start of this month we chatted with Pizza Wine founder Liz McDonnell (NEWBIES feature coming soon), who’s building a brand that puts fizzy red into the spotlight (it goes great with pizza). We’ve spoken before about brands not knowing what ritual they’re for, but Pizza Wine knows exactly and specifically, and we love that.

Not long after this we saw that model Ashley Graham had set up a sparkling red wine brand, and then spotted Black Girl Magic Wines were also launching a sweet red frizzante.

If you’re not sipping on a sparkling red, you’re longing for the past. Shirley Temple is the recipe of the moment. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are bringing back classic flavors. Carling is reviving Black Label. Nostalgia’s powerful, and never more so than when it comes to food and drink.

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Here’s your news scroll:

NEW TO THE WORLD

Sentia – which makes “GABA-enhancing spirits” that stimulate neurotransmitters to make you feel relaxed and sociable – has launched a new alcohol-free cider.

Our take: This ‘not alcohol’ and ‘not THC’ category has huge potential, but the fact that it’s currently being dubbed ‘functional drinks’ is very unsexy. Sentia could be onto something, but their branding and messaging needs a lot of work.

Coinciding with the Winter Olympics, Peroni released limited edition, $100 gold bottles with solid gold caps.

Did you know the founders of this very Substack also have their own rum brand, Esther? Here she is, new to the world and ready to take over the white space that is the rum sector.

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

Spindrift announced that they are now totally non-UPF.

Our take: think about the ongoing tequila additive wars. We’re going to see more brands flexing around being all-natural/UPF-free/additive-free, sugar-free, and using that as a tool to lure people in.

Is ‘whiskey tourism’ faltering? Off the back of Diageo closing a visitor centre at a Scottish distillery, the BBC reports on the waning fortunes of distillery tours. If you ask us, brands need to do more to show up where people are (rather than waiting for them to turn up).

There’s nothing like an animated graph for visualizing changes in drinking habits. Here’s Matt Rice, founder of Thirsty Insights, pointing out the slow-slow-slow-then-suddenly-fast expansion of wine RTDs.

INVESTORS’ CORNER

Willie’s Remedy+ continues to soar, landing $15m in Series A funding to keep growing the brand. Yahoo reports that it’s sold over 400k bottles since its launch less than a year ago, and it’s coming soon to retail shelves. People love THC.

Gallo just bought Four Roses from Kirin, not long after acquiring Whiny Baby. They’re diversifying. Watch this space.

INTERESTING FLAVORS

In previous Happy Hours, we noticed brands branching out into interesting flavors (Absolut Tabasco being the latest example). Now Heineken has added Lime and Nectarine Juniper to its zero beer range.

Our take: smart. There’s a huge number of alc-free beers, and it makes sense to differentiate yourself by injecting some novelty into the space.

Hendrick’s also just ventured into new flavors with orange blossom and cacao gin.

Apparently flavor is a major part of Surfside’s strategy, with its founders telling Forbes it aims for “familiar and popular” tastes that might seem fairly middle-of-the-road, but keep people coming back to them.

HIGH LOW NO

We’ve said it before: there’s always a contrarian. While everyone loses their minds for low-ABV and alcohol-free, some spirits brands are embracing high strength instead.

And then there’s the middle: the new Jack Daniels & Coke RTD is in a bigger can, but at a lower strength to make it “more sessionable”.

People love alcohol-free wine, people hate alcohol-free wine. Yahoo shares insight into the difficulties this particular sector faces – not least some of the condescension from the trad alc/bev industry.

Our take: the truth is, much de-alcoholized wine is mostly not very good, and that’s a liquid problem that branding can’t fix. As Benchmark Drinks’ MD says: “we’ve disappointed the consumer for many years”. Getting past that legacy is going to be tough.

CHANGING CULTURE

Sake is set for major global growth, says Beverage Daily. We’re currently working on a feature about sake’s expansion in Europe and the USA. Running a sake brand? Have opinions? Tell us. We want to talk to you.

SPONSORSHIP TIME

Cuervo is now the official tequila of NASCAR. NASCAR says its fans are 381.1% more likely to have consumed the brand in the past month, and 40.5% more likely to drink it. Definitely some numbers there.

A GLASS OF SPARKLING RED?

Model Ashley Graham is behind new sparkling red wine brand: Lucci Lambrusco.

THE FUN BIT

Reuters had a story about wine being aged under the sea by Chilean winemakers. According to one sommelier: “the tannins feel smoother, softer, the body feels more elegant”.

AdWeek has an interesting perspective on how brands won drinkers over to light beer. In short: no-one cared until the marketers got involved.

Why do some bartenders insist on importing ice from Japan? A short, but fascinating, answer here. The TLDR: it’s all about the craft and the experience.

Our take: there’s something compelling about the ‘accessories’ that come with drinking (for example Hoste Cocktail’s atomizers) and the potential for these to live as brands of their very own.

“Drinks founders don’t seem to wait around asking if they’re allowed to exist.” The ‘delusion’ of drinks founders is admirable and very necessary, says this Substack from Beholder.

The You, Me & CPG podcast says drinks brands need to loosen up. Have some fun. Be less serious.

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When we started sending these, we wanted them to be a quick scroll for our readers. Today we unveil Happy Hour 2.0, which has all the same speed-scroll news, but with a modest extra helping of analysis from The New Rules editorial team:

Dry/damp/dank, Frankenstein drinks, Asian spirits

What else could we talk about this month than Dry January? And this year, there’s a sense that people (and brands) maybe aren’t quite so committed.

Increasingly, non-alc brands are positioning themselves not as die-hard alternatives, but something to be enjoyed alongside and in between alcohol. Maybe Damp January, or even Dank January (hello THC bev brands), is the future.

Another major and ongoing theme for 2026 is drinks, but with extras. We’re talking protein, mushrooms, magnesium, vitamins, caffeine, nootropics, adaptogens…. Brands are stuffing their drinks with add-ons.

However these drinks face real challenges, one of which is: what occasion/moment/ritual/celebration are these brands for exactly? The other is, as Fabric founder Thomas Eddleston points out, that many of these extra ingredients are present in such tiny amounts, they’re likely to make no difference anyway.

Still, it’s a hypey category. And we think that means an influx of Frankenstein-esque, sports-adjacent, good-for-you bev/alc is coming.

We’re talking alcohol that looks like powerade; protein-, fiber-, antioxidant-, and electrolyte-rich drinks that are designed to support muscle and gut health; and an Asian non-alc beer designed for thirsty, sweaty athletes.

Lastly, it’s looking like 2026 is going to see a lot of Asian bev brands make moves on the American and European market.

Now, onto the news scroll:

NO BOOZE, NO PROBLEMS

I think a lot of people are over celebrity brands, but we couldn’t not mention that ELTON JOHN now has a non-alc wine brand. It feels like the branding could have been a little more exuberant.

USA Today claims the Shirley Temple as the cocktail of 2026. Why? It’s fun. It’s colourful. It’s alc-free. (Olipop and Poppi have already released Shirley Temple versions).

You can now get a non-alc Modelo. In Límon y sal. This seems smart, given the popularity of Corona’s Sunbrew Citrus Cerveza. (And if you scroll down, you’ll see bartenders predict citrus could be especially popular this year).

Non-alc brand Wilderton has closed for business. Co-founder Brad Whiting says they “made some big bets on scaling and consumers valuing a ridiculously expensive production process/facility…”.

Alcohol-free beer brand Loah has been bought by UK soft drinks business Cawston Press.

WHO WON DRY JANUARY?

Recess isn’t anti-Dry January, exactly, but its new year ad campaign celebrated balance over abstinence.

Seedlip is very pro-Dry January, bringing onboard Real Housewife Dorinda Medley and an emergency bartender to emphasise that it’s great in cocktails.

And then there’s sparking water brand Dash, which teamed up with Perello olives on an alc-free dirty martini kit. They also launched an encouraging ‘don’t let Dry Jan get you down’-style OOH campaign in the UK.

Aussie non-alc beer brand Heaps Normal has opened a hybrid bar/wellness space in a warehouse in Sydney.

The TNR take: this seems smart. There’s Heaps Normal non-alc options being served alongside alcohol, recognising that people aren’t necessarily all-in on not-drinking. There’s a rumour they’ll be adding a sauna to the space, which we love….

AFTER DRY JANUARY COMES…

Full proof February? Sazerac Rye is really embracing strength, with its new 100 Proof and Full Proof. Gotta love a contrarian.

The ‘convertible’ cocktail – have it with booze or without, as you like.

An absolute lake of spirits stockpiles, according to one alc/bev industry commentator.

And an ongoing conversation about additives in our drinks. It’s happening for tequila. Now The Spirits Business says it’s coming for rum too.

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THE MARKETING TEAMS HAVE BEEN BUSY

Sarah Jessica Parker is Tanqueray’s new global brand ambassador, and leads a campaign that’s all about saying no to things (???????). The tagline ‘there’s an N and an O in every ICON’ adds to the confusion.

Budweiser is celebrating its 150 years with some collectible, limited edition heritage cans.

Tuborg also has a new brand identity to amplify its “energy and modernity” according to Carlsberg Group.

Dos Equis has revived The Most Interesting Man in the World.

The TNR take: Didn’t Tuborg do a brand refresh in 2017? And 2022? Do young people know or care about The Most Interesting Man? Why are these heritage beer brands so hooked on looking backwards?

INVEST INVEST INVEST

THC drinks can surely only get bigger. Just Drinks reports that Jeng has taken on investment from Quench Ventures.

ABInbev is pouring a cool $30m into its Jacksonville, Florida brewery, to boost production of Michelob Ultra.

Alc-free beer brand Brulo just raised £1m.

ADD IN SOME EXTRA

Protein Milk (yuck) is now on the menu at Dunkin’. The product’s a bit outside of the world we usually cover, but it’s a sign that the ‘bev-with-extras’ mentality is absolutely everywhere.

ALL CHANGE PLEASE

Heineken’s CEO has now left, and they’re looking for his replacement.

The world’s oldest monastic brewery, in Germany, has been sold (to a brewing company).

Diageo’s new Guinness Open Gate Brewery in London is proving very popular. However it’s also just closed a distillery visitor centre in Scotland. A sign of changing times for how consumers experience alcohol brands?

THE YEAR OF WEIRD FLAVORS?

Vinepair asked bartenders what’s going to be in our drinks this year. And their answers were... a little weird. Seaweed. Savory dairy. Fermented citrus. There’s a real element of novelty and potency here, as well as unexpectedness.

NEW LAUNCHES

From K-Pop to RTDs, this Korean superstar just launched his Peaceminusone Highball in the US – and it comes in two flavors. Foodbeast reports it was an instant, sell-out phenomenon in South Korea, selling 880k cans in three days.

Also landing in the US from Asia – Zeitaku Shibori: an RTD vodka and sparkling soda from Asahi.

Noot is now available in the US. It’s emphasising its blend of nootropics.

Well hello there, TABASCO vodka.

Beyond Meat is now… a bev brand as well (?) as it launches a new protein drink. No, it doesn’t make sense to us either.

Speaking of new launches, drink Esther – a new rum from the founders of The New Rules. And PS, stay tuned for a soon-to-be-published deep dive on how we built the brand.

Say hi to Banagua: banana water.

Low-alc wine, in cans, from Butter Wines.

Sapporo Breweries have dreamt up a non-alc beer beverage for thirsty gym-goers – designed to be enjoyed post-workout.

We’ve seen skincare and ready meals tailored to GLP-1 users, and now Langers Juice has unveiled a GLP-1 ‘support beverage’. Smart.

LEND US YOUR EARS

The New Rules team did our first podcast appearance this month, popping up on an episode of The Business of Drinks to talk about brand-building, and our new report on brand building in the bev/alc world.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE PUB

America is welcoming a wave of new Irish pubs, but they’re a little different to what you might expect, reports Punch.

Meanwhile in the UK, an influx of ‘tiny’ pubs are proving popular.

AFFORDABLE WINE, LONELY PEOPLE

Semafor reports that wine sales are down (so are prices) and that’s hard for vintners because grape harvests come in every year whether you want them or not. But is it because people are drinking less, or are we all just less social?

It’s a different story for Gratsi – featured in our 2026 report – who are named America’s fastest-growing boxed wine brand.

The TNR take: wine brands can’t rely on all the old stories and visual codes that used to work, and Gratsi is proof of that.

AND BRIEFLY, A SPRITZ EXPLAINER

A quick refresher on what is and isn’t spritz from IESSI co-founder Romain Llobet.

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THE BRANDING END OF THE BUSINESS

Drinks brands 100% need to know how to show up ‘beyond the bottle’, and Aperol are doing exactly that with a new spatial design framework that guides how they show up in bars, festivals, supermarkets, stores….

The New Rules founders Margy and Emunah actually gave a talk all about life beyond the bottle (“beautiful is not enough”) at BCB Brooklyn a few months back. Watch now, or bookmark for later, we promise it’s good.

Brewdog raised eyebrows with a campaign that claimed to ‘flip’ some of their most notorious headlines. The comments section of their Marketing Director included some salty replies to this.

Jameson has a new look, to “bring people further into the Jameson world”.

Say hello to Sol’s sunny new look.

Mesmerised, for some reason, by the eye-aching branding of El Jimador’s New Mix – which looks a bit like bathroom cleaner, and a bit like it secretly contains psychedelics.

THE BUSINESS END OF THE BRAND

Do you know what Germany’s most successful spirits launch of the last decade is? Apparently it’s Jägermeister Orange. And here’s a quick but interesting LinkedIn take on why it’s been so successful.

New York now has its first alcohol-free members club, The Maze. The commitment to interior design could serve them very well here (it doesn’t feel like a ‘lesser’ option).

Westward Whiskey was in trouble. Now it’s not.

Recess just raised $30m.

Celebrities must be tired of beauty brands, because bev/alc brands are the thing, with Future launching a wine and wine cocktail brand “for consumers who crave quality and innovation without the pretense [sic] of traditional wine culture”. Call us anytime you want help with the branding, Future.

Here’s a venture capital take on all those celeb booze brands btw: “Here’s what kills most celebrity liquor brands: The celebrity likes to drink. That’s it. That’s their entire qualification.”

Calming beverage brand Trip is doing very well: a significant raise, a big valuation, and $200m profitable revenue predicted for 2026.

Non-alc brand Aplós also celebrated this month, with a $5m funding round.

TURBULENT TIMES FOR THC

At the end of October, Bon Appetite praised the virtues of THC-infused drinks, with a piece that reflected on their growing acceptance.

Then, cannabis beverage sales were predicted to reach $2.8 billion in the US by 2028.

Then, The Atlantic hopped onboard, saying “booze is down and weed is up”.

Then, it all changed, when the legislation to reopen the government included new rules for hemp products. It’s complicated, and it’s changing, and we recommend this PBS explainer.

A NEW RULES RECOMMENDATION:

ZBiotics sent us a package recently, and we ended up testing both of their main products side by side: Pre-alcohol, the engineered probiotic made to alleviate rough mornings after drinking, and their fiber supplement that turns sugar into fiber in your gut (wild, we know).

The pre-alcohol uses an engineered enzyme to break down acetaldehyde while you sleep, so you wake up feeling human instead of trashed. Bring this on every single business trip. And family get togethers. It really, truly works.

zbiotics.com

HERE COME THE ‘FUNCTIONAL’ DRINKS

Functional, non-alcohol bev brand Verse (which contains nootropics, adaptogens and electrolytes to support various states of mind) is expanding – new sizes, new flavors, more availability. There’s probably a lot more of these kinds of brands waiting in the wings, although as Mother Root founder Bethan Higson told us, sometimes it’s not entirely clear which drinks ‘ritual’ they’re trying to capture.

Eden’s Harvest – “the world’s first adaptogenic craft beer brand” – has put itself up for sale.

OVER TO THE WORLD OF WINE

Say hello to a new wine grape: the Muscat Shiragai (a hybrid of a local wild Japanese grape and Muscat). It’s apparently sweet and delicious, and seems like a bid to revitalise tourism in Japan’s Kurashiki city.

Barefoot Wine has a new look, and plenty of enthusiasm for its NFL partnership – one way it says it’s bringing new consumers into the category. Quite likely we’ll see a few more winey rebrands in the coming 12 months.

Glamour says boxed wine is ok, actually.

WEIRD BEER

A 150-year-old bottle of ale, brewed for British explorers (it can survive extremely low temps, resists freezing and has six times the calorie content of normal beer) is going be opened and used to create a new super-strong beer.

Alcohol-free beer is moving into its flavors era, as Heineken rolls out Nectarine Juniper and Cold Pressed Lime versions of its zero beer.

An interesting partnership here between alc-free beer brand Bero and Aston Martin. ‘Collaborative products’ are apparently on the way. BTW Bero reportedly just hit $10m in revenue.

Meet Low, Slow and No, an inexplicably Wild West(?)-themed campaign from Heineken that feels strangely patronising.

CHANGING TIMES

You heard it here first: Asian spirits are going to be absolutely huge in the coming years. We spotted this story about how baiju producers in China are making less powerful versions, apparently to appease Gen Z and Millennial drinkers.

In a total contrast to the movement towards lower ABVs, some brands are going in the other direction, like 1800 Tequila.

If you’re not gin, you can no longer be called gin, says the EU.

The tequila wars continue, as Diageo continues fighting a class action lawsuit about the labelling of Casamigos and Don Julio.

Is gin no longer cool? Patrón Tequila billionaire John Paul DeJoria is determined to make it so, as he brings Waterloo Gin to 20 more states. “These younger folks that are just getting into gin right now have no clue how bad gin used to be,” says the brand’s chief sales officer.

Wired covers Voodoo Scientific: the “enzyme-tinkering startup” that wants to take the “harsh bite and burn” out of spirits.

Bacardi has some predictions for the future of bev/alc: earlier drinking, screen-free gatherings, more care towards ingredients and maximalist cocktails (amongst other notes).

NEW LAUNCHES

Coffee brand grind has made an RTD espresso martini for the UK – another sign that the RTD craze is still crazed.

The Pathfinder is also getting into coffee, with a new espresso tonic.

Graza now makes wine. And Good Housekeeping rates it.

Monster seems to be planning a new energy drink. For ladies. It’s called FLRT. The website has a flower-shaped mouse hand.

Spotted something that Brown Brothers are calling ‘portable wine’. Tiny booze is here to stay (and it’s perfect for the GLP-1 era).

EVERYTHING BUT THE DRINK

-Drinks, but extra, is one of the biggest trends in the soda world. Probiotics, CBD, mushroom powder, nootropics… nothing’s ‘just’ a drink anymore. This piece from Food & Drink International is a little dry, but raises an important point that people are very drawn to ‘multifunctionality’.

-Speaking of drinks with extra, here’s non-alcoholic winemaker Altina doing just that, by adding magnesium and L-Theanine.

-And here’s Express Checkout reporting on Target’s announcement that it’ll sell THC beverages – the first mainstream retailer to do so. Retail Brew has also reported on the boom in cannabis-infused drinks.

-The global cannabis bev market could be even bigger than today’s energy market by 2032. If you like the sound of that, read our interview with BREZ.

-People love merch. Brands love making merch. And apparently branded swag is a huge opportunity for the bev sector (this piece says socks, hip flasks and robust umbrellas are a favourite). The key is to make something genuinely long-lasting.

-Diageo threw itself a ‘Think Party’ (they used AI to analyse a lot of information, and find a set of trends which feel, if we’re honest, both broad and uninspiring).

-AI came for craft beer, and craft beer fans said, ‘no thanks’.

THE COLLABS KEEP COMING

-This feels unexpected but wholesome: a UK beer brewery partnered with a publisher to showcase work from new literary voices.

Krug has partnered with Max Richter on three musical pieces inspired by their 2008 harvest.

AI business Friend were widely ridiculed for a NYC ad campaign that suggested an invisible machine could replace your real friends. Then Heineken got involved.

NEW LOOKS

Blue Moon is really on a roll. In our last Happy Hour we spoke about their 30th anniversary campaign, celebrating their love of orange slices. Now they’ve revealed new packaging for their alc-free options.

Chivas Regal really courts the novelty seekers with Crystalgold: Chivas, but clear. Their master blender Sandy Hyslop says it’s the brand’s biggest innovation in his 42 years in the business.

OPINIONS

Are drinks brands failing because people don’t want alcohol anymore, or because their branding is dull? Writing for DesignWeek, Matt Burns from beverage branding studio Thirst says: “People aren’t bored of drinking. They’re bored of you.”

The world’s best bar is, apparently, Hong Kong’s Bar Leone. Interestingly, its founder is keen to “revive the bellini”, which it serves topped with fluffy cream.

Johnnie Walker is leaning into luxury. Hard. Business of Fashion has a piece about it, including their latest collab with fashion designer Olivier Rousteing on a flask and decanter, and its new underground vault in Edinburgh (with a library of 500 rare whiskies).

“The vodka category has been very boring for a long time,” says one distillery founder, in a piece dedicated to premium vodka that contains a fair amount of interesting stats.

LET’S GET LOW (AND NO)

There’s more and more low-ABV brands coming into the market. Newcomer wine business Future Chateau is one of them. You won’t taste the difference, but you’ll feel the difference, they say.

Second Sip is another, and they’re selling 40-proof gin.

Alc-free beer brand Lucky Saint now makes a Weissbier.

Bero has partnered with happy Coffee to sell coffee-adjacent stout, and hop-adjacent coffee.

Non-alcoholic beer is absolutely flying in Germany.

We’ve said that alcohol-free brands should be careful putting their faith in trends, and maybe this SNL sketch feels like the harbinger of the eventual turning of the tide? Or maybe not.

IT’S NOT EASY BEING IN BOOZE

America’s whiskey industry is struggling, with exports and production both down.

Asahi dealt with a cybersecurity nightmare earlier this month, with news outlets saying Japan could face a potential shortage of the beer as a result. Production has now restarted, but the BBC says orders are – incredibly – being processed using pen, paper and fax machines. (BTW, their new ad is worth a watch).

Carling, Foster’s and Carlsberg were named the three most boring beers, in Kingfisher’s Boring Beer Index.

NOTABLE LAUNCHES

We just published a NEWBIES feature with Wild Mannered – a RTD soju brand that believes the Korean spirit’s time is now. They’re not the only ones, with Hello Soju – which landed $6.8m in investment earlier this year – just releasing its first premium soju.

Non-alc brand Noughty launched a 200ml bottle, and we’re telling you, tiny drinks are a thing.

The world’s oldest single malt (85 years) comes clasped in four, bronze branches.Only 125 will be sold.

THE BUSINESS END

Sazerac is on a buying spree. They just added Western Son Vodka and Distillery to their portfolio, having bought Svedka vodka and Buzzballz in 2024.

The Hollywood Reporter has a quick breakdown of celebrity-owned and backed brands, and there’s a lot of booze in there. (Although Marketing Dive notes they’re also coming for non-alc too).

WINE IS FINE

You might have been told that Gen Z aren’t big drinkers. Well, according to OTHER founder Jack Blumsom, that’s wrong. But they are choosing and buying differently to other generations.

You know who else loves wine? Athletes. The Hustle had a recent edition reporting on sports teams making private label ‘victory wines’.

If you scrolled this far, we love you. If you’re a founder or marketer working in the bev/alc world and want to share some news, talk to us, tell us your story, say hi.

The New Rules of Bev/Alc is a newsletter, an annual report, and an approach. Nihilo is a branding agency. Curious to learn more and/or partner? Reach out: hi@nihilo.agency.

❤️,

Nihilo

Friends and lovers

Sabrina Carpenter partners with Johnnie Walker, as the brand woos younger consumers. It’s the first in an ongoing series of musician collabs.

Jacquemus has partnered with Veuve Clicquot on a handcrafted Rafraîchissoir (an 18th-century wine cooler). Apparently he was drawn to ‘la grande dame de le Champagne’ Madame Clicquot, who took charge of the business in the early 1800s.

And BTW, Vogue Business says more alc brands want to get into the fashion realm, as it points out several recent collabs.

French Bloom is Formula 1’s official first ever non-alc sparkling wine sponsor (expect more sports and non-alc collabs to follow).

AB InBev are tapping into the Netflix fandom, with a multi-year partnership that centres around co-marketing campaigns across popular titles.

Tito’s has acquired a majority stake in LALO Tequila. Bevnet says it’s a smart move in the ongoing tequila additive wars.

In the vineyard

Whiny Baby is now part of the Gallo family.

And Express Checkout has sensible thoughts on why that may be, including sagging wine sales, and the challenge of connecting with younger people (although they wisely highlight Gen Z isnt’ necessarily drinking less, they’re just drinking differently).

A long-read, for those with time, on the dramatic history of grape varieties, starting with Pinot, the ‘party’ grape.

Neatly packaged

Welcome to shot culture 3.0: the era of pre-packaged and ready-to-shoot.

Say hello to Cointreau Citrus Spritz: the brand’s foray into the RTS sphere.

Botivo now comes in cans. Have a look at them, and then read our interview with founder Imme Ermgassen.

Flavoursome

Crown Royal is making chocolate-flavoured whiskey (in last month’s Happy Hour, we noted an influx of unusual flavourings. The Guardian has reported that Crown Royal Blackberry has been a standout performer of late..…)

More from the world of gimmicky flavours: Baileys is planning a seasonal choc orange edition.

Charred, toasty, sweet, smoky tequila is the latest from Don Julio.

Ghia now comes in Blood Orange flavour – “bright, juicy, and with a lingering citrus sweetness”.

No- and low-

Investopedia says “self-prohibition” is driving non-alc sales (although we think the story might be a bit more complicated than that…)

New York just hosted its first zero proof festival.

It’s interesting seeing how no- and low-alc brands choose to pop up in the real world. Heineken did it by hiring a fleet of tennis umpires and getting them to shout compliments at strangers.

And Heineken 0.0 is doing very well for itself, now stocked in 10,000 venues in Europe – with the Netherlands particularly thirsty for booze-free beer, apparently.

Dry Atlas has a quick rundown on how Big Alc is growing its non-alc offering, with interesting stats around just how well some of the big names are doing (Guinness 0.0% accounts for 10% of all Guinness sales in Ireland!)

“Dry tripping” is now a thing, as searches for alcohol-free travel skyrocket.

Bob Conwell, MD at bar consultancy Mr Lyan Studio, has thoughts on the no and low trend. “It’s maturing fast,” he says.

What comes after the alc-free hype cycle? Alcoholic drinks designed to reduce your hangover. Makes sense.

I think we’re going to see a lot more alc-free brands incorporating other ingredients, as Mingle Mocktails is doing with its adaptogenic RTD.

The narrative around alcohol-free and who’s drinking is further complicated by this report, that suggests heavy drinkers are more likely to buy low- or no-alcohol drinks.

Athletic Brewing Company wants to be everyone’s go-to alc-free beer for football season, and it’s spending seven figures to make that happen.

Celebrity corner

Charlie Sheen is now the proud founder of an alcohol-free beer brand, Wild AF. “Brewed for living it up without the crash and burn”.

Avril Lavigne now does wine.

Willem Dafoe loves Laphroaig. As he so poetically describes it: “Like kissing a mermaid in a rocking rowboat on a feisty sea. Like sucking on a burnt match”.

And now, for the commercial break

Blue Moon and 🍊orange slices🍊: lovers since 1995. To mark its 30th anniversary, the beer brand made it official with a campaign set on Blue Moon Garnish Farm, and bags of custom-labelled oranges.

In Brazil, Blue Moon also got together with Sol for a solar eclipse-themed campaign.

Wild Turkey’s new global brand campaign is all about time, heritage, and stubbornly staying the course.

In beer land

Michelob Ultra is now America’s favourite beer.

We’ve had clean beauty. Now buckle up for ‘clean beer’ – as Fathers Beer raises money to double-down on advanced filtration, organic ingredients, glass packaging and no heavy metals, forever chemicals or microplastics.

Garage Beer just raised $200m. Drinks Intel reports the money is earmarked for nationwide expansion.

Sad times

MSN reports that Napa Valley wineries are “pulling out vineyards” in the face of: oversupply, tariffs, unharvested grapes.

What’s happened to ‘innovation’ in the spirits industry? Why does Gordon’s Lemon Meringue gin exist? One founder has thoughts.

Fun extras

What is the animal on your wine label really trying to tell you? If it’s a boar, apparently that you like cheap, low-rated wine. True connoisseurs go for cats.

Two new TV shows (Black Rabbit and House of Guinnes) might be giving booze its Bear moment, according to Punch.

The New Rules of Bev/Alc is a newsletter, an annual report, and an approach. Curious to learn more and/or partner? Reach out: hi@nihilo.agency.

❤️,

Nihilo

Cocktail time

• A lot of people are drinking the Spaghett, according to Business Insider, who are calling the beer-based cocktail the drink of the summer.

• There’s 102 cocktails on the International Bartenders’ Association’s official list, and one man has tried all of them. He’s got some thoughts.

• Restaurant critic Bill Addison muses on the ‘martini shivers’ for the LA Times, in an ode to the cocktail’s seductive powers.

• It’s pink, it’s topped with balls of honeydew melon, and it’s absolutely synonymous with the US Open. Here’s the story of the Honey Deuce.

Unusual flavours

• We seem to be in a time of interestingly flavoured booze. Ramsbury Distilllery has just released hot honey- and wildflower honey-flavoured vodkas.

• 21 Seeds is also emphasising its fruit-infused flavours (cucumber jalapeno, grapefruit hibiscus, valencia orange) with a new campaign

• And according to a report in The Guardian, Diageo’s blackberry-infused whiskey Crown Royal Blackberry has been a standout performer in a lackluster year.

• There must be something about blackberry, because Jack Daniels has also just released a blackberry-flavoured edition. 

• And not to be outdone, Kahlúa has partnered with Dunkin’ on a caramel swirl cream liqueur. 

• Ever wanted a bloody mary, but in ketchup form? Zing Zang has got you.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

• Some Celsius energy drinks were actually High Noon vodka seltzers

• It looks like Diageo’s about to offload a whole load of brands, in the face of reduced profits.

• The Guardian has a bit more on Diageo’s struggles in the wake of Debra Crew’s resignation.

• The gin boom is over, says Drinks International, although there’s room to grow in the super-premium part of the sector.

• Brewdog is faltering. It’s closing pubs across the UK, it’s being removed as a draught option in UK pubs, and co-founder Martin Dickie just quit the business.

• Having built a much-loved brand, whiskey unicorn Uncle Nearest is also sadly experiencing hard times, with Forbes reporting the business has defaulted on $108m of loans. They also quote founder Fawn Weaver, who says: “This is a blip on the radar.”

No and low

• Everyone is talking about the latest Gallup poll, that says 54% of American adults say they drink alcohol. The last time the number dropped below 60% was in 1996.

• Seedlip and Syvla founder Ben Branson plans to launch a non-alcoholic shandy, and he says it’ll tap into “the crossover between the non-alcoholic sector and soft drinks”. 

  

• Non-alcoholic amaro The Pathfinder has landed $3.6m in funding to take distribution nationwide (and seems to be part of an uptick in interest in these bittersweet, herbal liqueurs).

• Lewis Hamilton is also betting on the alc-free sector with his new, non-alc agave spirit Humo (shown above).

• Sapporo beer now comes in a premium non-alcoholic version.

• Easy Does It is a new (and visually Liquid Deathy) zero beer, set up by skateboarder Erik Ellington.

• Europe is drinking (and brewing) more alcohol-free options.

RTDs and THCs

• Ready-to-serve’s reign continues, as Yellowstone Bourbon launches its first bottled cocktails including the fig and honey-flavoured Gold Rush and a good old fashioned Old Fashioned.

• THC-infused bev brand Uncle Arnie’s has landed $7.5m in Series A funding – which it’ll use to double its workforce and expand into new markets in the US. It’s reported a pretty impressive 100% year-on-year growth since being founded in 2019.

  

• Marijuana brand Cookies is branching out into the bev space, with a line of THC-infused drinks in lime, mango, strawberry and…. ‘spicy’. 

• Alc-free retailer Sèchey launches Sèchey Noir: an e-comm hub for THC- and CBD-infused drinks.

From the world of branding

• Jameson has a subtle bottle update, with a brighter color palette, extra foil and textured varnishes.

• Another heritage alc brand, Patrón, is also rolling out a bottle update.

• Goodrays has a new look, which MD Ben Dando says is all about helping people discover the power of calm. 

• Wine brand Living Roots has had a makeover including a ‘story symbol’, just in time for its new Finger Lakes tasting room. 

  

• Other Wines shares some of the story behind its recent brand refresh, including its flowy wordmark.

• ITO Gin goes fluoro.

• Patrón hopes to woo music fans, as it announces a new partnership with Boiler Room. “We’re not just observing the scene, we’re actively influencing it,” says the brand’s vice president, Roberto Ramirez-Laverde, perhaps somewhat ambitiously.

• We couldn’t not include this feature on the branding behind Nihilo’s very own rum Esther – designed with duality in mind.

The beer section

• How do you become one of America’s fastest growing beers? According to Garage Beer’s CCO, tapping into niche sports fans really helps. 

Booze, but make it treat-sized

• Sierra Nevada has a new brew: and it comes in a half-pour size.

  

• Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila is serving up a mega-mini version, designed to clip onto people’s bags.

Walk on the weird side

• People, apparently, can’t get enough of beer spas.

• Do we need beer-infused soup? Campbell’s and Pabst Blue Ribbon think so.

And finally, in science

• Say hi to a new kind of hop: the Dolcita. It’s fast, it’s fruity and – according to Yakima Chief Hops, who are selling it – it’s “a damn good hop”.

The New Rules of Bev/Alc is a newsletter, an annual report, and an approach. Curious to learn more and/or partner? Reach out: hi@nihilo.agency.

❤️,

Nihilo

1. Willie Nelson has a bev brand, and it’s doing very well. Willie’s Remedy+ – his THC-infused ‘social tonic’ – sold out in its first month according to Brewbound, and sales continue to boom. Parent brand JuneShine has said it’s the fastest-growing product they’ve launched so far.
   

2. Big alc brands are well-aware of the threat from THC, as reported by Reuters.
   

3. Peroni has invented beer ice.

   

4. Vogue investigates: what do Gen Z drinkers really want? They’re picky, but apparently novelty drinks, canned cocktails, and anything that’s TikTok-friendly is doing well.
   

5. That Vogue piece is backed up by findings from GlobalData, which says spirits-based RTDs, cocktails, liqueurs and aperitifs are more likely to be popular with Gen Z.
   

6. Many bev brands leverage celebrity partnerships, but not Tullamore D.E.W, who have declared themselves “celebrity free since 1829”.

7. “We may have made mistakes” says Rémy Cointreau’s departing CEO Eric Vallat, who’s overseen tumultuous times at the brand. More from his own LinkedIn here.
   

8. Casamigos now comes in cans.

   

9. “I do truly think we are moving towards an ABV agnostic future - one where people want to explore new and interesting liquids as much as get drunk,” says Botivo founder Imme Ermgasson (interview with her coming to The New Rules soon).
   

10. De-alcoholised and low-ABV wines might be about to get a whole lot better, as bev tech biz ALTR lands $5m in seed money. Its Velvet Blade technology allows for precise removal of ethanol molecules.

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11. In total contrast to that, Buffalo Trace have just released 100-proof Sazerac Rye.
    

12. Edrington, parent company to The Macallan and Wyoming Whiskey, is facing a tough year.
    

13. Patrón plans a new redacted ad campaign that takes a stab at Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council.

14. Drinks brands and fashion labels are matches made in heaven, as noted in this Drinks Business piece. Dolce & Gabbana loves Sicilian wine; Dior Men loves Hennessy X.O; JW Anderson loves Guinness. Writer James Bayley says: “These projects are often limited in scope but broad in impact.”
    

15. We’ve been told, repeatedly, that Gen Z doesn’t drink. But according to the Financial Times, they are drinking, and they’re drinking more. 
    

16. Stauning Whiskey has a new identity and packaging.

    

17. Cara Delavigne is the latest celebrity getting into the RTD craze, as her Della Vite prosecco brand expands into a line of canned spritzes.
    

18. Von Dutch dominated the noughties. Now it’s (maybe) releasing a line of spirits (including mushroom vodka) and hard sodas that look quite a lot like perfume.
    

19. According to Punch, tequila is the current favourite order in bars across the US (followed by gin and vodka).
    

20. And in the world of tequila, Don Julio is apparently the strongest brand – as ranked by Brand Finance, which measures marketing spend, awareness, reputation, and plenty of other metrics.

21. Forbes has the story of Surfside, which is set to bring in $300m this year. “We're masters of our own destiny at this point,” co-founder Clement Pappas tells the magazine.
    

22. Alc-free doesn’t have to be fun-free. GABA Labs are creating a molecule that can recreate the first drink buzz, but hangover-free. It’s due to enter the regulatory process in the US later this year.

    ---

The New Rules of Bev/Alc is a newsletter, an annual report, and an approach. Curious to learn more and/or partner? Reach out: hi@nihilo.agency.

❤️,

Nihilo