Half a decade after wading into distilling, Massachusetts-based Trillium Brewing is diving into the ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail segment.
Rum Punch and Margarita, the first offerings from the new RTD line, launched Tuesday (July 1) at Trillium’s locations in Canton and Boston (Fort Point, Fenway and the Rose Kennedy Greenway). The 12 oz. canned cocktails are available for on-site consumption and sold in 4-packs to-go, according to a press release.
“Aligned with our core value for creating exceptional products, we took our time fine-tuning these recipes, sourcing the right ingredients and establishing fun, yet recognizable new brands,” VP of sales and marketing Mike Dyer said in a press release first shared with Brewbound. “In a growing market segment full of choice, we’ve stuck to our roots and crafted an array of top-shelf beverages that Trillium fans and discerning consumers will appreciate.”
Prepared spirits-based cocktails have surged in popularity in recent years. In the 52-week period ending June 14, the segment’s dollar sales reached $3.394 billion (+17% year-over-year) at total U.S. extended all outlet (xAOC) retailers, plus liquor and convenience stores, according to market research firm NIQ.
Trillium invested in a “multi-million dollar distillery expansion” last year at its Canton campus, making it one of the largest spirits production hubs in the Northeast. For several years, the company has produced large-format bottles of Wake Robin Bourbon, Aveller Gin, Wavebreak White Rum, Windrow Vodka, Agrumi and Ardito Amari, and JC Tetreault Orange Liqueur.
“When we started our spirits program in earnest five years ago we envisioned offering a full complement of bar essentials including vodka, rum, gin, amaro, and more, with special focus on bourbon, rye and American Single Malt whiskey with estate-grown grain,” Trillium co-founder JC Tetreault said in a press release. “This breadth of product enables us to offer handcrafted cocktails for our guests as well as fuel the development of these new canned beverages.”
Rum Punch showcases Wavebreak White Rum and Windrow Vodka mixed with pineapple, guava, orange and cherry. Margarita contains “agave spirit,” lime, passion fruit and pink sea salt. Both are 6.5% ABV and will sell for $18 per 4-pack.
About two weeks after the cocktails’ debut, Trillium plans to roll out 12 oz. can 4-packs of hard tea, lemonade and seltzer with Windrow Vodka as its spirits base, which will retail for $15 per 4-pack.
“Initially we expect to introduce our RTDs to our existing local wholesale network, but are already fielding inquiries from some of our larger out-of-state distribution partners,” Dyer told Brewbound.
In its home state, Trillium self-distributes to 200 retailers concentrated in an area that stretches from Boston to Cape Cod, with select accounts north and west of the city.
“We primarily focus on top-tier restaurants and bars and independent package stores that focus on product quality,” Dyer said.
Beyond the Bay State, Trillium distributes to Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as seven other states. The brewery ships beer direct-to-consumers (DTC) in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oregon, Ohio and Washington, D.C., according to its website.
Demand for Trilium’s spirits has been mounting in Massachusetts, likely due to consumers’ curiosity piquing during visits to the company’s taprooms.
“In addition to our new RTDs, we offer a robust specialty cocktail program, as well as classic call cocktails that feature our handcrafted spirits,” Dyer told Brewbound. “Our bottled spirits are growing in notoriety, and we expect that the RTD line will only further amplify our fans to the full portfolio. We’re beginning to field sales requests for our bottled spirits within our self-distributed wholesale network, which we intend to begin offering in a targeted approach this month.”
Trillium isn’t the first New England hype brewery to dabble in RTDs. Maine-based Bissell Brothers Brewing rolled out Bissell Fizz vodka soda and Bissell Breeze hard tea earlier this year.
The pivot may prove to be a wise one, as the brands delivering the strongest growth in the spirits category are all RTD purveyors.
Sazerac-owned BuzzBallz – which primarily sells single-serve spheres of spirit-based RTDs, but also makes malt-based versions – increased dollar sales 89.8% and volume +101% in the week ending June 22, according to market research firm Circana.
In the same period, Stateside Vodka-owned Surfside hard tea and lemonade recorded triple-digit growth (+748.2% in dollars, +776.1% in volume) and Carbliss spirits-based RTDs recorded double-digit growth (+87.3% in dollars, +90% in volume).
Trillium was the seventh largest taproom brewery in the country by volume, according to the Brewers Association’s (BA) May/June issue of the New Brewer magazine. The brewery’s output declined 3%, to 13,004 barrels of beer. The BA defines taprooms as breweries that sell the majority of their beer on-site and do not run significant food service operations.
JC Tetreault and his co-founder and wife Esther Tetreault delivered the keynote speech at the BA’s Craft Brewers Conference earlier this spring in Indianapolis. Revisit their message here.