U.S. spirits exports hit a record $2.4 billion in 2024, up nearly 10% compared to 2023, according to a report released today by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).

It’s not often that the genesis for a canned cocktail is a home-cooked dinner. But for friends Vishal Patel and Parit Pathak, the idea for their ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail brand, Junglee, came from their mothers’ cooking.

The first quarter of 2025 was rocky for the beer industry, as National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones reported last week. Brewbound’s coverage of Jones’ presentation of quarterly data from bev-alc invoice tech platform Fintech continues with a deeper dive into craft, hard tea and non-alcoholic (NA) beer…. Read more »

This week’s beer goes out to WALMART, who seems to be coming for that sweet, sweet KIRKLAND action.

Overall beer category dollar sales declined in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, but those losses were unbalanced between the channels, according to the most recent report from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and Fintech. Beer dollar sales reached an estimated $15.8 billion in the first quarter of the year, down about 4% year-over-year (YoY).

Alcoholic beverages are feeling a squeeze, and not of the lime variety. Beer and alcohol businesses are facing economic pressures from tariffs, shifts in consumer spending, and health and wellness trends — yet many opportunities for growth remain, particularly among Gen Z (21+) consumers, the newest group to reach the legal drinking age.

Tequila continues to gain share from other spirits in U.S. bars and restaurants, according to NIQ’s on-premise marketing research arm CGA. Tequila sales by value rose by 0.7% in the 12 months through the end of February, despite a 1.7% drop in volumes.

The U.S. market was somewhat prepared for President Donald Trump to enact tariffs during his presidency, as promised during his campaign. But it wasn’t prepared for how “aggressive” those tariffs would be, including the speed and extent of their implementation, Rabobank global strategist, beverages, Stephen Rannekleiv said Thursday during a webinar hosted by the Brewers Association (BA).

Is the food and beverage funding freeze finally thawing? FABID’s Q1 2025 Report reveals a surprising rebound in deal size and investor appetite—just not where you might expect.

Craft mergers in Massachusetts continue apace. Orleans-based Hog Island Beer Co. has struck a deal to acquire Plymouth-based Mayflower Brewing, the companies announced this week. The acquisition brings together two breweries who sit across Cape Cod Bay from one another.

Editor’s Note: It’s with great sadness that we’re writing to note the passing of Jack Craven, the Chairman of BevNET, father of our CEO and founder, John Craven, and father-in-law to our COO, Carolyn Craven.

A chemist, turned attorney, turned unlikely spirits brand owner, Skrewball co-founder Brittany Yeng has walked an unconventional path towards her current role spearheading one of the fastest market rollouts in spirits history.

A Los Angeles craft spirits producer is taking on the Empire State in a federal lawsuit filed yesterday challenging direct-to-consumer shipping laws prohibiting distillers in California from sending spirits to customers in New York.

Westbound & Down Brewing Company is aiming to quadruple its production and achieve $3 million in profits by 2028. The Colorado craft brewery, with five taprooms across the state (Denver, Idaho Springs, Lafayette, Basalt and Aspen), is in the midst of a $1.2 million crowdfunding (CF) raise.