Headlines

Where Growth Is Shifting in Beverage Alcohol – NIQ On Premise July 2026

The latest NIQ On Premise analysis highlights a beverage alcohol landscape increasingly defined by divergent category performance and evolving consumer preferences. Spirits continue to strengthen their leadership position, delivering value growth and gaining share while Beer and Wine remain under pressure.

Taste Radio: How Curious Elixirs Built An Eight-Figure Brand Without Outside Investors

He built an eight-figure brand without raising a single dollar of outside capital. In this episode, Curious Elixirs founder and CEO J.W. Wiseman explains exactly how he did it. He shares how a direct-to-consumer strategy fueled profitable growth from day one, why relentless product refinement has always taken priority over rapid expansion, and the lessons that have helped the brand thrive on its own terms.

In Rebrand, Free Spirits Ditches The Wellness Pitch For Cocktail Culture

As many companies across the beverage aisle run towards wellness, one alcohol replacement brand is backing away from it. The Free Spirits Company has overhauled its packaging, formulas and messaging across its full lineup of zero-proof spirits and ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, repositioning the five-year-old brand toward the cocktail ritual itself.

Lessons from Founders Who Stay with the Business

Finding a decade-old, growing brand still led by its founder can be harder than one might think. But when you do, you’ll find a founder who is not only dedicated to their business, but capable of evolving and adapting to the ever-changing demands of the beverage industry.

Taste Radio: AI Is Changing How Brands Are Built. It Can’t Build Yours.

AI is rewriting the rules of product discovery, and brands that aren't optimized for algorithms risk becoming invisible. The Taste Radio team explores how AI is reshaping retail and marketing, unpacks a proposed class action lawsuit over protein labeling claims, and explains why early-stage founders should build with mainstream consumers – not just niche audiences – in mind.

As Uncle Nearest Sale Nears, Receiver Alleges Lender Ignored ‘Red Flags’

The receiver overseeing Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey case is accusing Farm Credit Mid-America of negligence, after the lender allegedly ignored years of red flags while a rogue CFO falsified financial reports, misappropriated funds for personal purchases and increased the whiskey brand's credit line from $35 million to $67 million.

People: BellRing Brands Names Next CEO

BellRing Brands, the maker of Premier Protein and Dymatize, has named Snak King chief executive Michael Axelrod as the successor to outgoing head Darcy Davenport, assuming the role of president and CEO effective July 29.