Beam Suntory and the Boston Beer Company Partner to Expand Iconic Brands Across Fastest-Growing Categories
Beam Suntory and the Boston Beer Company Partner to Expand Iconic Brands Across Fastest-Growing Categories
This long-term, strategic partnership will initially bring the Sauza tequila brand further into the US RTD category and Truly Hard Seltzer into bottled spirits
[BOSTON & CHICAGO – July 15, 2021] Beam Suntory and The Boston Beer Company have formed a long-term, strategic partnership to extend select iconic brands into some of the fastest-growing beverage alcohol segments. Through this partnership, Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, and Boston Beer, a pioneer in craft beer, initially plan to launch products that bring the Sauza tequila brand further into ready-to-drink beverages (RTDs), and Truly Hard Seltzer into bottled spirits.
The first new products resulting from this partnership will be available across consumer retail channels in the United States by mid-2022, with plans to expand across more key brands in the future.
“Our industry is rapidly evolving, and consumers are looking for new and exciting options that suit a wide variety of occasions, and we couldn’t be happier to have found the perfect partner to extend our brands into the spirits category,” said Dave Burwick, CEO of The Boston Beer Co. “Beam Suntory shares our pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit, and the obsession with delivering high-quality products. This unique, win-win collaboration opens a new frontier for our industry-leading Truly Hard Seltzer brand as we expand into bottled spirits and also allows us to bring a great tequila brand into our best-in-class wholesaler network.”
Boston Beer’s existing portfolio includes industry-leading brands such as Samuel Adams and Dogfish Head beer, Truly Hard Seltzer, Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea, and Angry Orchard Hard Cider. As part of this partnership, the company plans to expand Truly Hard Seltzer, the fastest growing hard seltzer on the market, into bottled spirits and will benefit from Beam Suntory’s distilling expertise and robust distribution network.
Already an RTD leader in Japan, Australia and Germany leveraging brands like Jim Beam, Canadian Club and -196°, Beam Suntory is turbo-charging its fast-growing US RTD business, building on the acquisition of On The Rocks premium cocktails and launch of Hornitos seltzers and the Jim Beam Highball. As part of this collaboration, Beam Suntory’s Sauza tequila brand, will expand into additional RTD formats by leveraging Boston Beer’s expertise, production capabilities and distribution footprint.
“We are each tapping opportunities in adjacent categories by unleashing our shared creativity and respective distribution strengths in spaces that resonate with consumers,” said Albert Baladi, Beam Suntory President & CEO. “We’re expanding the reach of loved, iconic brands that have tremendous equity, credibility, and consumer loyalty. Beam Suntory and Boston Beer understand brand building, and as pioneers in premium spirits and craft beer, our combined possibilities are limitless.”
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About The Boston Beer Company:
The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE: SAM) began in 1984 brewing Samuel Adams beer and the Samuel Adams brand is currently recognized as one of the largest and most respected craft beer brands. Our portfolio of brands also includes Truly Hard Seltzer, Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard Hard Cider and Dogfish Head Brewery as well as other craft beer brands such as Angel City Brewery and Coney Island Brewing. For more information, please visit our investor relations website at https://www.bostonbeer.com, which includes links to all of our respective brand websites.
About Beam Suntory:
As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark® bourbon brands, Suntory whisky Kakubin and Courvoisier® cognac, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek®, Basil Hayden’s® and Legent™ bourbon; Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™ Japanese whisky; Teacher’s, Laphroaig® and Bowmore® Scotch whisky; Canadian Club® whisky; Hornitos® and Sauza® tequila; EFFEN®, Haku® and Pinnacle® vodka; Sipsmith® and Roku™ gin; and On The Rocks® Premium Cocktails.
Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good, which now includes its transformative sustainability strategy, Proof Positive. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit https://www.beamsuntory.com and https://www.drinksmart.com.