Brewbound Live is just 2 days away! Get ready for exclusive 1:1 meetings with industry leaders, expert insights on shifting trends, and dynamic networking at two lively parties. Watch the Pitch Slam competition and taste the latest innovations from top beer and bev-alc brands. Register today to join us Dec. 11 + 12!

Among the shelves of packaged noodles and chili oils, shoppers at Fatty Mart, an LA neighborhood multicultural mega-bodega, might find a sampling for SummerFall, a sparkling yuzu and sake canned cocktail released this month.

It’s one of several sake-based ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails that have appeared on shelves in recent years, this one with the charge of spreading the founder’s vision of “sake for everyone.”

Sliding into the $10 billion RTD market in the U.S. is not the only way sake brewers are hoping to find inroads into American shelves and bars. A crop of sake producers have paired wine making techniques with traditional sake brewing – and positioned themselves against other high-end lower ABV beverages.

BevNET spirits editor Ferron Salniker dove into the trend, including sake’s strongest U.S. markets, changing consumer perceptions of the segment and how sake could speak to existing bev-alc trends. 

Ninety-five percent of bev-alc brand launches fail, according to Gustavo Aguirre, VP of brand innovation at investment firm InvestBev. 

Aguirre spoke during BevNET’s Spirits Sunday event in Marina del Rey, California. Aguirre was joined by GHJ advisory partner Maria Pearman and 5:30 Somewhere founder Dale LeFlam. Each gave a short presentation on keys for bev-alc startups to succeed in today’s crowded marketplace.

BevNET Live kicks off today, with two days of beverage business conversations. Watch the livestream here.

Aguirre named six of the most common reasons brands fail, including failing to turn an idea into a business case. 

Aguirre said: “The expectation that a great tasting product is enough is probably the biggest mistake that they can make."

Insiders can read more, including Pearman’s warnings on pricing mistakes and LeFlam’s thoughts on expansion.

Brown-Forman was able to buck expectations in its latest quarterly earnings thanks to its higher-end whiskies, but the CEO cautioned it was facing “so many potential scenarios and unknowns” with potential tariffs looming. 

The whiskey giant reported a sales dip of -1% (+3% organic) to $1.11 billion, topping analysts’ expectation of $1.07 billion in Q2 FY 2025. For the first half of the fiscal year, reported net sales decreased -5% and gross profit declined -8%, mainly due to the sale of its Sonoma-Cutrer and Finlandia brands.

Insiders can go deeper into Brown-Forman’s financial results.

Get ahead of the competition by becoming a Brewbound Insider. In just a few clicks, unlock exclusive benefits including data insights from top industry providers, the Insider Daily Briefing for the latest headlines, unlimited access to comprehensive content on Brewbound.com, and discounts on job listings and tickets to Brewbound Live.

Join us on the Inside.

Brewbound Live week is finally here! Our annual business conference takes place Wednesday and Thursday, which means you still have time to join us for two days of talks, networking and more. 

If you can’t make the trip, you can watch the livestream. Check out the full agenda and speaker lineup. 

The winners of Brewbound’s 2024 Awards and Rising Stars will be revealed around 11:40 a.m. PT Wednesday. This week’s Brewbound Podcast will also feature interviews with some of the winners. Look for the episode in your feeds midweek.

What are suppliers, distributors and retailers prioritizing heading into 2025? Bump Williams Consulting offered a breakdown of those differing priorities and where they overlap. 

Brewbound managing editor Jess Infante has details: “Suppliers/manufacturers’ top priority is to ‘find strategic partners,’ while distributors are looking to expand their ‘total beverage portfolios’ and retailers are focused on managing pricing and promotion, according to BWC’s survey.”

Insiders can read the full recap.

In the latest A Round With Q&A, Kevin York of the craft beer-centric firm of the same name shares ways brewers can differentiate themselves and why storytelling matters more than ever. 

Here’s a taste: “The brewery stories I’ve seen tend to be pretty similar: A person or group of friends liked craft beer, started homebrewing, and eventually decided to go to the next level and open a brewery. That’s boring. It was boring 10 years ago, but it’s become especially stale now. It doesn’t stand out and it doesn’t make people want to form any kind of loyal relationship with you.”

Read on for ways brewers can break the mold. 

The latest Brewbound Podcast recaps the pre-Thanksgiving news dump, as well as features more Krampus talk than you’d expect. Plus, Justin samples Rogue’s new Pacific Northwest IPA and the team ponders Americans’ dream of brewery ownership (at least in five states). 

Domestic tax paids increased +1.2% year-over-year (YoY), to 11.4 million barrels, an increase of more than 130,000 barrels, according to the Beer Institute, citing data from the the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). October marked the first YoY increase in tax paids since May. 

Brewbound reporter Zoe Licata has more on the latest shipment data, including total supply and imports. 

Draft beer considerably outsells packaged products in the on-premise channel, per a new report from Draftline Technologies and CGA, NIQ’s on-premise arm. 

In not-so-great on-premise news, Thanksgiving eve recorded its third consecutive YOY volume decline, per BeerBoard. Draft volume was down -1.8% compared to the same night in 2023. But it did get a +39% increase week-over-week compared to November 20. 

Also, catch up on these big beer headlines:

• Anheuser-Busch Believes in the Strength of Total Portfolio, Led by Michelob Ultra; Stella Artois to Get Super Bowl Ad
• Constellation Brands Considers ‘Levers’ to Pull Should Proposed Tariffs Materialize
• Molson Coors Leadership on Blue Moon, Simply Spiked, Price Increases and M&A Approach
• Cisco Brewers Portsmouth Pub Closes; Brewing to Continue On-Site
• Sazerac to Acquire Svedka Vodka from Constellation Brands

Meanwhile, Spindrift is reportedly in talks to sell to a private equity firm for $650 million, per The Wall Street Journal. 

Become a Brewbound Insider to receive the latest news. 

Note: If you’re wondering if you missed the Insider’s Week in Beer weekend newsletter, you didn’t. Sean was taking a much-deserved break in the U.K.

In the ever-evolving beer and beverage-alcohol industry, staying informed is key to success. As a Brewbound Insider, you'll gain access to the latest data reports, breaking news, and industry insights that empower you to drive product innovation, optimize your marketing strategies, and effectively reach your target audience. Stay ahead, make smarter decisions, and fuel your business growth with Insider access.

Become an Insider.

The full agenda for the 2024 Brewbound Live business conference is now available, featuring more than 30 speakers from beverage-alcohol suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, data providers and advisory firms.

Industry leaders will meet at the Marina del Rey Marriott for two days of business conversations, networking and relationship building on December 11 and 12. Tickets are still available, but time is running out to register.

The conference provides actionable takeaways to help you prepare for success in 2025 and beyond. Topics include:

• Opportunities in the on-premise channel;
• Wielding a focused portfolio;
• Staying relevant to younger generations;
• Meeting consumers in non-traditional occasions;
• Strategies for surviving craft’s choppy times;
• Understanding changing drinker demographics;
• Making beer accessible to underrepresented groups;
• And much more.

View the full agenda.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to book one-to-one meetings with retail buyers from Whole Foods Market, Applebee's and ExtraMile Convenience stores, as well as decision makers from Breakthrough Beverage California, the Reyes Beverage Division and California Beverage Solution (Stone Distributing, Markstein Sales and Heimark Distributing).

Brewbound’s Pitch Slam competition will also return to provide exposure for up-and-coming brands.

Ample opportunities will be provided to network with industry colleagues at our parties, including a pre-event party at JuneShine on December 10 and an opening night party at Firestone Walker on December 11.

Register for Brewbound Live 2024 >>