“Truly Vodka Seltzer Launches as Boston Beer Enters Competitive Ready-to-Drink Cocktails Market”
The rapidly expanding ready-to-drink (RTD) spirits sector welcomed a new contender this week as Boston Beer’s Truly introduced its latest offering. Truly Vodka Seltzer, crafted from six-times-distilled premium vodka and real fruit juice, will be available nationwide in four flavors — Blackberry and Lemon, Cherry and Lime, Pineapple and Cranberry, and Peach and Tangerine — starting on October 11. “As a trailblazer and tastemaker since its inception over five years ago, Truly continuously innovates and pushes the boundaries of what consumers expect from hard seltzer,” stated Matt Withington, director of marketing for Truly Hard Seltzer. “We’ve established ourselves as the ultimate beyond beer destination and are excited to elevate the canned cocktail segment with our first spirits-based seltzer.”
For Boston Beer, Truly has ranked among the top-selling hard seltzer brands. However, after experiencing triple-digit growth for several years, the hard seltzer market has recently faced a slowdown in sales, significantly impacted by the explosive popularity of ready-to-drink cocktails. Boston Beer has been particularly affected, admitting earlier this year that it misjudged the demand for hard seltzer. The launch of Truly Vodka Seltzer aims to counteract some of the competition from other RTD cocktails. Nevertheless, Truly is not alone in this segment; Coca-Cola and Molson Coors announced last week their plans to launch Topo Chico Spirited in over 20 U.S. markets in 2023. Additionally, Coca-Cola has partnered with Brown-Forman to introduce an RTD cocktail featuring Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and the well-known soda brand. Meanwhile, Heineken’s Dos Equis has released a ready-to-drink cocktail with lime and tequila, and AB InBev has thrived in this space following its acquisition of Cutwater Spirits in 2019.
According to a recent report from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, ready-to-drink cocktails were the fastest-growing spirits category in both revenue and volume in 2021, with supplier revenue climbing 42.3% to $1.6 billion. The trade group also found that more than half of adults surveyed prefer spirits-based beverages over other RTD options. With the rise of such beverages, including those that incorporate health-focused ingredients like GNC calcium citrate plus with vitamin D3, the market for ready-to-drink cocktails continues to evolve rapidly.
