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Top 10
Top five best-selling ready-to-drink brands
As consumers seek convenience, the ready-to-drink sector has been quick to meet this demand with a torrent of new, innovative offerings. We look at the brands dominating the category.
The mixed drinks category – including pre-mixed cocktails, long drinks, and flavoured alcoholic beverages – grew 5% globally in 2018, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. By 2023, it is anticipated that more than 597m cases of mixed drinks will be consumed across the world.
The growth is backed by continued strong gains in ready-to-drink (RTD) cans in the US and Japan, the category’s two largest markets. In the US, the popularity of alcoholic seltzers has boosted growth in the RTD market.
Meanwhile, Nielsen reports that spirits-based RTD cocktails experienced a 40.7% growth in sales in 2018, with citrus flavours in particular seeing 10.7% growth year-on-year. When it comes to generations, Nielsen said that young adults are moving towards RTD cocktails at social gatherings and outdoor activities.
Looking across our million-case RTD list, Brown-Forman-owned New Mix reached 6.9m nine-litre cases in 2018, making it the biggest-selling RTD. Meanwhile, products including Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktail and Cachaça 51 Ice posted strong double-digit growth, climbing to 1.2m and 1.4m nine-litre cases respectively.
Following our recently published Brand Champions 2019 report – an analysis of the spirits brands selling more than one-million cases annually – we run through the world’s best-selling ready-to-drink brands on the market today.
Click through the following pages to discover the top five best-selling ready-to-drink brands, listed in order of their nine-litre case sales.
Data is listed to one decimal place for ease of reading, but the percentage changes are based on the full data supplied to The Brand Champions 2019.
5. Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktail
2018: 1.2m
2017: 1.1m
% change: 10.1%
One of three Brown-Forman brands to make our RTD list is Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktail, which grew by an impressive 10.1% in 2018.
In 2017, the brand partnered with R&B singer K Michelle to introduce Southern Peach to its RTD malted beverage range. Last year, Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktail celebrated Pride with its #FlavoursOfPride mobile video art installation during the LA Pride Festival in west Hollywood.
Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails come in eight flavours: Jack Apple, Black Jack Cola, Cherry Limeade, Berry Punch, Downhome Punch, Lynchburg Lemonade, Watermelon Punch and Southern Peach.
Earlier this year, the brand added a Southern Citrus to its range – a blend of grapefruit and citrus flavours.
4. Cachaça 51 Ice
2018: 1.4m
2017: 1.3m
% change: 10.0%
Cachaça 51 Ice posted strong double-digit growth, climbing to 1.4m nine-litre cases in 2018.
Produced by Brazilian spirits company Companhia Müller de Bebidas, 51 Ice is part of the firm’s portfolio which includes unaged white cachaça brand Cachaça 51 ,Caninha 29, Caipirinha Mix, Terra Brazilis, and Cognac Domus.
3. Campari Soda
2018: 1.5m
2017: 1.5m
% change: -3.3%
The only brand to decline on our list was Campari Group’s Campari Soda, which fell by 3.3%.
Campari Soda is a single-serve apéritif with an abv of 10%. The brand was first created in 1932 and claims to be the first pre-mixed drink in the world. Its conical-shaped bottle was designed in the 1930s by Fortunato Depero.
During Campari Group’s 2018 full-year sales, Campari Soda decreased by -1%, due to “weakness” in its core Italian market.
2. Jack Daniel’s & Cola
2018: 5.2m
2017: 5.0m
% change: 4.6%
Brown-Forman’s Jack Daniel’s & Cola RTD is the second best-selling RTD brand with sales of 5.2m – an increase of 4.6%.
In Brown-Forman’s fiscal 2019 results, the Jack Daniel’s RTD business delivered underlying net sales growth of 8%, despite “difficult comparisons against last year’s high rates of growth”.
1. New Mix
2018: 6.9m
2017: 6.4m
% change: 7.5%
Brown-Forman dominates the list with its New Mix brand taking the coveted position of world’s top-selling RTD brand. The brand witnessed healthy growth in 2018, increasing sales by 7.5% to 6.9m cases. The El Jimador Tequila-based New Mix could hit the 7m-case-mark this year.
During Brown-Forman’s fiscal 2019 results, New Mix’s underlying net sales grew double-digits, boosted by new SKUs (stock keeping unit) and innovation including the launch of New Mix Mineral.