SL-028 U.S. Goes All-In on RTDs, is the U.K. SOL?

You may have read or heard industry pros or journalists like me throw around these acronyms lately—FMBs and RTDs. They stand for flavored malt beverages—that’s the FMB—and ready-to-drink cocktails—the RTD. In layman terms, they’re the industry stand-in for what we all see on store shelves as hard seltzer, alcoholic tea, or canned cocktails from the likes of Cutwater Spirits or Fling Craft Cocktails. And most important, whether we’re talking about FMBs or RTDs, both categories are wildly successful, making boatloads of money, and are changing ideas and expectations in the beverage alcohol industry.

So in this episode of the podcast I’m chatting with fellow Sightlines reporters Kate Bernot and Jonny Garret to better understand the impact of these kinds of drinks in the U.S., where Kate is based, and the U.K., where Jonny will explain to us why hard seltzers haven’t yet become a world-changing thing like they have in the states. We’re talking data, research, and stories from both their reporting to give better and broader context on what has the potential to be one of the biggest industry stories of this summer in both countries.

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This is the GBH Sightlines team of myself, Kate Bernot, and Jonny Garrett. Listen in.

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