The top 10 biggest-selling RTD Brand Champions 2025
Despite fierce competition in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category, one brand surged ahead to claim the top spot – and it might not be who you expect.
Three RTDs saw triple-digit growth this year: Surfside, Cottage Springs, and Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola – the latter helping spark a wave of spirit-mixer brand collaborations.
The RTD category posted a volume gain of 2% in 2024, according to IWSR, with most of the top 20 markets expanding, except for Australia, China, India and the UK.
It was a positive year for the category as a whole, with most million-case brands achieving growth in volume sales – but, of course, not all.
Scroll down to see the biggest performers from The Brand Champions 2025 report.
The data is listed to one decimal place for ease of reading, but the percentage changes were calculated on the full data supplied. All data is recorded in millions of nine-litre cases.
10. Surfside
Volume: 2020: N/A | 2021: N/A | 2022: 0.2m | 2023: 1.3m | 2024: 4.7m
% change: 270.5%
Place last year: N/A
Bursting into the top 10 for the first time and bagging itself the title of RTD Brand Champion is Philadelphia-based Surfside. Owned by Stateside Urban Craft Vodka, the brand managed a staggering 270.5% increase in sales in 2024 – making it the fastest-growing spirits brand in the entire Brand Champions report.
Its co-founders, Clement Pappas and Matthew Quigley, believe the brand has succeeded for a number of reasons, including being first to market with its Iced Tea + Vodka cans, and its USP of being uncarbonated.
Most importantly, they say they’ve taken a slow and steady approach to brand building, despite what the figures suggest.
9. Breezers
Volume: 2020: 4.4m | 2021: 5m | 2022: 6.4m | 2023: 6.2m | 2024: 6.2m
% change: 0.8%
Place last year: 9
Holding tight in ninth position is Bacardi’s RTD brand Breezers – which is not unexpected given its stagnant volume sales. The flavoured alcoholic beverage got a rebrand midway through 2023, which hasn’t yet translated into significant growth. However, last month the brand announced it was returning to the UK after being discontinued in 2015 – so, watch this space.
8. Jim Beam RTDs
Volume: 2020: 5.7m | 2021: 6m | 2022: 6.3m | 2023: 6.6m | 2024: 6.8m
% change: 2.7%
Place last year: 8
It was a solid year for Jim Beam’s RTD range, which is creeping ever closer towards 7m cases. The American whiskey was also on the up by 2.9%, remaining the biggest-selling world whisky and bagging the title of World Whisky Brand Champion for the third year in a row.
7. Horoyoi
Volume: 2020: 12.3m | 2021: 13.4m | 2022: 12m | 2023: 11.2m | 2024: 9.7m
% change: -13.2%
Place last year: 6
Uh oh – we have our first fall of the list. Suntory Global Spirits’ Horoyoi fell by double digits to below 10m cases for the first time – also giving up its sixth place position in the process. But in a portfolio alongside heavyweights -196 and Kakubin, holding ground was always going to be a challenge.
6. Jack Daniel’s RTDs (excluding JD Country Cocktails)
Volume: 2020: 11.8m | 2021: 10.8m | 2022: 11.3m | 2023: 11.2m | 2024: 10.5m
% change: -6.4%
Place last year: 5
Jack Daniel’s RTD portfolio is a complex beast, with Country Cocktails and its Coca-Cola collaboration counted separately from the core range, which includes Jack Daniel’s Honey & Lemonade and Jack Daniel’s Apple Fizz. But one thing is clear: the core range’s volumes fell by 6.4%.
A total of 10.5m cases is still respectable, of course – especially when you consider that the brand’s Coca-Cola product grew by 103.8%, inevitably taking share from the original range.
5. New Mix
Volume: 2020: 8m | 2021: 7.4m | 2022: 9.1m | 2023: 10m | 2024: 10.9m
% change: 8.4%
Place last year: 7
You go, New Mix. The RTD made with El Jimador Tequila is exclusive to Mexico, but it somehow still shifted nearly 11m cases. A US launch could propel the brand even further – but Brown-Forman may have other priorities, with its CEO betting instead on Gin Mare and Diplomático Rum.
The New Mix range includes three cocktails – Paloma, Cantarito and Vampiro – as well as a sparkling water option.
The company is planning two new products for New Mix, Paloma and Cantarito, which will launch in key US states later this summer.
4. Kakubin RTDs
Volume: 2020: 8m | 2021: 9.1m | 2022: 10.3m | 2023: 11.6m | 2024: 12.6m
% change: 8.8%
Place last year: N/A
Kakubin’s RTD wasn’t included in The Brand Champions last year, but had it been, it would have ranked fifth. The brand continued with its impressive growth again this year, rising by 8.8%. The product packages Kakubin blended whisky and soda into a can, and is available only in Asia.
3. Suntory Lemon Sour
Volume: 2020: 16.3m | 2021: 19m | 2022: 18m | 2023: 20.4m | 2024: 21.9m
% change: 7.4%
Place last year: 4
It’s another win for Asian RTDs, with Suntory Lemon Sour growing by 7.4%. This helped it get onto the top 10 best-selling Brand Champions list for the first time, along with the top two RTDs on this list.
2. High Noon
Volume: 2020: 2.9m | 2021: 8.8m | 2022: 16.4m | 2023: 21m | 2024: 23.5m
% change: 11.7%
Place last year: 3
Gallo-owned High Noon managed to grow its volume sales by 11.7% – certainly an impressive figure, but sadly not enough to bag it the title of RTD Brand Champion for the third year in a row. In 2023, it grew by 30.5%, while it jumped 94.7% in 2022. It seems its extreme growth is slowing, but we doubt anyone at Gallo is too concerned just yet.
1. -196
Volume: 2020: 25m | 2021: 27.8m | 2022: 27.3m | 2023: 27.8m | 2024: 30.4m
% change: 9.4%
Place last year: 2
Let’s address the elephant in the room here – White Claw is no longer included in the Brand Champions, as only 1% of its volumes globally are spirit-based. That means Goliath has been toppled from the RTD Brand Champions list, with Suntory Global Spirits’ -196 becoming the new biggest-selling brand.
It’s not just a winner by default, though – it grew sales by an impressive 9.4% to cross the 30m-case mark for the first time. Plus, there’s strong promise for 2025’s figures, with the seltzer brand launching in the US last month. Could it eventually near White Claw’s heady heights of 60m cases?
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