Weekly Beverage Alcohol Recap | July 10, 2026

**Category-Wide Trends**- Spirits overtook beer in U.S. alcohol revenue share for 2025 (42.4% vs. 41.8%) per DISCUS, even as beer still leads on volume- Wine fell below 300 million 9-liter cases for the first time in two decades- Off-premise total beverage alcohol dollars down ~3.1% for the four weeks ending June 27; wine hit hardest, club stores the only channel gaining- RTD/prepared cocktails remain the industry's standout growth pocket — spirits-based RTDs up 26-30% depending on source- Spirits volumes have declined four consecutive years (IWSR); Gallup pegs alcohol drinkers at an all-time low of 54% of Americans- NA beer, non-alcoholic wine, and energy drinks continue outsized growth**Beer**- Constellation Brands' beer division led supplier growth (Pacifico, Victoria, Barrilito gains) even as Modelo Especial and Corona declined- AB InBev split: Busch and Michelob Ultra (Zero) grew while core Budweiser family lost over $130M- Molson Coors, Heineken USA, Boston Beer posted steeper declines- Import brands (Sapporo, Guinness, Peroni, Kirin) got a modest World Cup-related bump- Beer Institute: 19th consecutive month of tax-paid shipment declines- Costco discontinuing Kirkland Signature Helles Lager/Vintage Ale (Deschutes Brewery partnership)**RTDs**- Cutwater (AB InBev), Surfside, Sun Cruiser posted triple-digit-adjacent growth- High Noon remains volume leader (~24M cases) despite a slight decline- Stateside's new Super Lyte depleted 120K cases in five weeks; targeting 1.5M for the year**Spirits & Tequila**- Diageo U.S. spirits sales fell double digits; Casamigos, Don Julio, Herradura, El Jimador all declined- Tequila's mass-market tier (71% of category) shrinking while craft grows ~28.5% annually; $100+ tier down 16.5% in volume- Class-action litigation alleges Casamigos/Don Julio falsely marketed as 100% agave- Diageo new CEO Dave Lewis ordering cost/headcount cuts; closed Aviation Gin visitor center in Portland- Diageo and Pernod Ricard trading at historically low multiples — Pernod now cheaper than BAT/Altria**Whiskey Oversupply & Bankruptcies**- Uncle Nearest in receivership after defaulting on ~$100M in barrel-backed loans; single bid received for barrel liquidation at steep discount- Kentucky Owl bankruptcy plan rejected by judge over pricing "race to the bottom" concerns- House Spirits Distillery (Oregon) previously filed for bankruptcy on same oversupply dynamics- WhistlePig sold Moriah, NY aging warehouses for $17M to raise capital**Wine**- Continued volume/dollar declines; Gallo and The Wine Group posted steepest losses; Deutsch Family/LaMarca bucked trend- Non-alcoholic wine surged double digits- GLP-1 drugs linked to modest consumption drag (Wine Market Council)- Oregon wine industry: grape production down 25%, exports down 29% (Canada shipments -83%)- California AB 1585 ("American" wine labeling bill) stalled in Senate after Assembly passage**Distribution**- Southern Glazer's shifting accounts to digital "Customer Solutions Team"/Proof Commerce; workforce reductions- RNDC breakup continues: Alaska layoffs, Columbia Distributing asset sale, Wilson Daniels realignment to Reyes/Johnson Brothers- Johnson Brothers expands Bogle partnership (IN, NE, SD); Breakthru adds Edrington brands in Illinois**Trade Policy**- Canadian provincial boycotts have slashed U.S. spirits exports 50-85% depending on measure; Ontario pulled ~$965M in U.S. alcohol- Rep. Claudia Tenney's CANADA Act seeks Section 301 investigation into Canadian restrictions- American Whiskey Association lobbying domestically and via World Spirits Alliance in Geneva (India market access)**Corporate Earnings**- PepsiCo: EPS beat, organic sales growth missed; Frito-Lay declined, Pepsi Beverages underperformed; North America weakness persists despite international strength**Retail**- Kroger rolling out staffed wine tasting bars in 147 stores- Costco June comps +7-7.6%, tougher comps expected ahead**Regulatory & Legal**- TTB's proposed "Alcohol Facts" labeling rule could overhaul packaging industry-wide- Yost v. Miller (SCOTUS) and Ninth Circuit DTC shipping case both testing interstate alcohol shipping rights- Gallo patent suit dismissed- Chad Wolf calls for Congressional probe into Chinese-linked hemp-THC beverage operations (Oklahoma cited)**Adjacent Categories**- Tobacco stocks (Altria, BAT) continuing to outperform; oral nicotine pouches gaining significant share