Sazerac Company has partnered with Molson Coors-aligned wholesaler Andrews Distributing on three new ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages in Texas, adding a regional portfolio to the spirit company’s expanding RTD business.
The brands offer different styles as well as distribution opportunities. Only beer and wine based-RTDs are allowed in Texas convenience and grocery stores.
First up, Nuestro is a malt-based beverage inspired by Mexican cocktails, reflecting the flavor profiles and branding found in many Hispanic grocery accounts in Andrews’ territory. The lineup will include Lime Margarita, Hibiscus Margarita, Tamarindo Margarita and Paloma, and will retail for $23.99 for a variety 12-pack.
Vamos is a wine-based “party punch” in tetra packaging that “taps into early 2000s party nostalgia,” mimicking category-defying leader BeatBox. Five flavors – Fruit Punch, Blue Razz, Green Apple, Pink Lemonade and Mango Madness – will be available at 11.1% ABV with zero carbonation. Vamos is priced at $1.99 per single.
On the other side of the spectrum, Brightway is a vodka cocktail with zero carbs or sugar. Four- packs will sell for $9.99 in flavors Golden Pineapple, White Peach, Wild Cherry and Harvest Cranberry. Each has 100 calories and 5% ABV.
“We believe Nuestro, Vamos and Brightway will win because they were created by our target consumer, for our target consumer, with local knowledge from our brand and sales teams on the tools they need to succeed,” said Maddy McGuire, director of brand strategy at Andrews in a press release.
The brands will launch this week across North Texas, with Nuestro and Vamos also rolling out in Andrews’ new South Texas Division in Corpus Christi and Laredo. Brightway is also coming to Specs across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Nuestro and Vamos clearly aim to tap into RTD segments on the rise. Vamos appears to be angling its Spanish name to recruit culturally curious BeatBox drinkers, the original Tetra-packaged party punch whose flavors and description closely match those of Vamos. BeatBox is one of the top wine-based RTDs, rivaling Sazerac’s orb-shaped RTD line BuzzBallz.
Nuestro may be taking cues from brands such as VMC, a tequila-based canned cocktail born from a partnership between world champion boxer Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, Spirit of Gallo, and Casa Lumbre. The brand has quickly catapulted to the ninth top RTD in the latest 52 weeks ending July 12, according to NIQ off-premise data compiled by 3 Tier. Other Latino-focused brands such as Jumex have also made a foray into RTDs.
“This collaboration shows the power of combining supplier innovation with distributor expertise,” said Jake Wenz, president and CEO at Sazerac in a press release. “Together with Andrews we’ve created brands that not only deliver on great taste but also reflect the spirit of the occasions where they’ll be enjoyed.”
Sazerac has made waves in the RTD business after acquiring Southern Champion’s RTD portfolio, including BuzzBallz, in March 2024. The brand leads wine-based RTDs and sits in the top 10 spirits-based RTDs. Sazerac was among the first major spirit companies to shift its RTD distribution to beer distributors, a strategy that many spirits companies have since followed.
The news in Texas follows the announcement last month that Coca-Cola’s “firewalled, wholly owned” bev-alc subsidiary Red Tree Beverages will move Fresca Mixed and Minute Maid Spiked to Sazerac.