Weekly Beverage Alcohol Recap | June 5, 2026

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Weekly Beverage Alcohol Recap | June 5, 2026

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**Distribution Upheaval**- RNDC closes transfer of 11 markets to Reyes Beverage Group; Reyes now covers 52% of US LDA population- Additional RNDC market exits pending: Columbia Distributing (OR/WA), Martignetti (17 control states), Manhattan Beer (NY), Breakthru (KY/IN), Quality Brands (NE/SD/ND)- RNDC layoffs reach up to 4,677 positions across multiple states; NC, SC, OH facilities closing- Southern Glazer's acquires Clare Rose on Long Island; rebrands to Southern Glazer's Beverage Company in July- T.J. Sheehan acquires Eagle Beverage in Central New York (+3M cases)- Breakthru/Edrington launch Colorado distribution partnership for The Macallan, Highland Park, Brugal- Elenteny Imports rebrands to Elysia & Co- Hayden Beverage/Columbia Distributing partner in Idaho; Oliver Winery and Caymus Vineyards align with Reyes**Earnings & Corporate Strategy**- Brown-Forman FY2026: Net sales $3.9B (-1%); organic flat; EPS $1.53 (-17%); FY2027 guidance: organic sales flat, operating income -3% to -5%- Pernod Ricard merger talks officially dead; Sazerac ~$15B bid rejected; RBC argues M&A was clearest value path- Rémy Cointreau FY2026: Sales €935.3M; organic +0.2%; adjusted EPS €1.71 (beat by 7%); guides to organic growth in FY2027- Treasury Wine Estates slashes brands from 76 to <30; selling CA wineries; consolidating around Penfolds, DAOU, Matua; targeting A$100M annual savings; H1 net loss A$649.4M- Costco Q3: Net sales $69.15B–$70.5B; US comps +6.8%–9.4%; EPS $4.93; traffic decelerating- Dollar Tree Q1: Net sales $4.975B (+7.2%); EPS $1.74 (+38%); raised full-year guidance- Dollar General Q1: Net sales $10.8B (+3.4%); EPS $2.00; 4th straight quarter of traffic growth; 450 new stores planned**Beer Market**- NBWA Beer Purchasers' Index at 52 (3rd consecutive month expansionary); at-risk inventory at 39 (lowest since 2021)- BA revises 2025 craft decline to -4% (from -5.1%); Yuengling data corrected; craft dollar share 24.8%- Legacy craft brands collectively lost $158M; emerging brands added only $17.5M- Domestic super premium only beer segment growing both dollars (+3%) and volume (+2.5%); Michelob Ultra the engine- Michelob Ultra Zero surged 622% to $91M; Athletic Brewing leads NA beer at $156M- Voodoo Ranger G Force cracks top 30 craft brands; Blue Moon, Samuel Adams Seasonal post double-digit declines- Draft beer at 9.6% of volume — highest since 2019**RTD & Spirits Categories**- RTDs surpass vodka globally in value for first time (IWSR)- US spirits-based RTDs: +26.8% dollar sales L4W; +34.8% YTD- Top growth brands: Cutwater +124%, Sun Cruiser +113%, Good Boy Vodka +117%, Surfside +61%- Consolidation: ABI/BeatBox, Molson Coors/Atomic Brands & Monaco, Mark Anthony/Long Drink, Sazerac/Dirty Shirley- US tequila volumes slip for first time; super-premium -8%; value tier +8%; Becle Q1 US/Canada sales -26.3%- Gran Coramino reaches ~$200M cumulative sales; Lalo Tequila gains momentum post-Tito's investment**Whiskey Oversupply**- Industry inventory at ~1.5B gallons; inventory-to-production ratio ~85x vs. historical ~53x- Brown-Forman pauses Slane and Glenglassaugh distilleries- Whiskey House of Kentucky cuts 30% of workforce; operating at 60% capacity- TKC Distilling/True Story faces two lawsuits totaling ~$1.45M- Diageo signals more competitive US pricing across full price spectrum**M&A & Distress**- Uncle Nearest receivership: LOI signed with unnamed Black-owned investment firm for full asset sale- Press Premium Seltzer in receivership; owes ~$7M to Constellation's CBV Ventures + $4.3M to City Brewing- Voodoo Brewing crowdfunding investors told equity is total loss- Great Central Brewing faces $4.7M foreclosure- Carbliss openly for sale (~5.7M cases projected); SpikedAde projects 1M cases across 22 states- Tilray sells Atwater Brewery back to founder Mark Rieth- Wine M&A frozen: 40–60% buyer-seller valuation gap; worst sector slump in 30 years**Legal & Regulatory**- Boston Beer faces $191M judgment in Ardagh aluminum can contract case; appeal planned- Celsius/Alani Nu under Texas AG investigation for youth-oriented marketing- Furlong v. Brown: Maryland DtC beer delivery law struck down on Commerce Clause grounds; 8+ states with similar statutes potentially affected- Ninth Circuit orders Akin Gump to pay fees in Winebow/Franz Haas arbitration case- Cannabis: DOJ rescheduling hearing June 29; hemp ban amendment efforts blocked; HHC Schedule I challenged in two circuits**THC Beverages**- $239M in mainstream retail sales (52 weeks ending April 4); +135% YoY; 1,170+ UPCs, 200+ brands- 50% of US adults (~130M people) express interest in trying THC beverages- Strongest in liquor stores ($132M), convenience ($55M), grocery ($49M)**Trade & Tariffs**- 8 of 10 Canadian provinces still ban US liquor; Phillips Distilling lost 70% of Canadian business- Phillips relocated Sour Puss production to Montreal to re-qualify for Canadian shelves- Wine Institute sent 14-executive delegation to D.C. to lobby for Canadian market ...

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