Welcome to Issue #11 of The Quench Report, the newsletter that delivers the latest and greatest in Beverage Alcohol on the rocks and straight to your inbox.

What’s on tap for today:

• 🥃 How Sazerac became the largest spirits supplier in the U.S.

• 🆕 Target rolls out a quiet test for THC Beverages

• ♨️ This Week’s Hot Jobs in Beverages

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WHAT’S ON TAP THIS WEEK

📊 Oct 15
• Brown-Forman Investor Day

📊 Oct 16
• Pernod-Ricard Q1 FY’26 Sales Update
• Treasury Wine Estates Annual General Meeting

🥃 HOW SAZERAC BECAME THE #1 SPIRITS SUPPLIER IN THE U.S.

Last week, we reported that Sazerac had acquired Western Son Vodka, a Texas-based distillery known for its 10x distilled, gluten-free vodka made from 100% American corn.

What many don’t realize: Sazerac is now the largest spirits company in the U.S. by volume.

Privately owned, the company keeps a low profile, but its growth tells a bold story.

Two decades ago, Sazerac was a mid-sized player. Fast forward 20 years, fueled by aggressive M&A, plus hit internal brands like Fireball and Platinum 7x, and the company now ships 40M+ 9L cases annually.

Want to see where the cases have come from - check it out 👇️ 

It’s rare to see a company win in both acquisition and organic innovation, but Sazerac has done just that. Even ten years ago, few thought they'd ever surpass Diageo (who at the time was almost 2x their volume)... yet here we are.

🆕 TARGET IS QUIETLY TESTING THC BEVERAGES

Late Friday, word leaked that Target is quietly piloting THC beverage sets in 10 stores across Minnesota. Want to see the set? - check it out below 👇️ 

🧠A few thoughts:

• Products appear to all be 5mg or less – reports of the “death of 5mg” might be a bit premature.
  

• The branding across the board is incredible - although nascent - this category is packed with talented CPG teams.
  

• A mix of local MN and “national” brands - it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

THIS WEEK’S HOT JOBS IN BEVERAGES

These roles came to us via personal channels (not public job boards). Want your open role featured? Email: [email protected] 👇️ 

• Sr. Brand Manager - Suntory - Jim Beam - Chicago, IL

• Social Media Manager - Hydration Startup - Remote - West Coast (email for intro)

• SVP Beverage Distributor - Confidential - Southeast U.S. (email for intro)

• Sr. Director of eCommerce - Proximo - Jersey City, NJ

• Area Sales Manager - DiSaronno - Tampa Bay, FL

• Portfolio Manager - Confidential - New York, NY

• Director, Human Insights - Coca-Cola - Chicago, IL

• Director of Wholesale - Dutton-Goldfield - Sebastopol, CA

• Director THC Beverages - Total Wine - Bethesda, MD

• Sr. Analyst, Marketing Analytics - Pernod Ricard - New York, NY

• Head of Sales - Bawi Agua Frescas - (email for intro)

• Field Marketing Manager, Beverage - Green Thumb - Illinois

THANKS FOR READING

The Quench Report is a free weekly newsletter from Thirsty Insights, a beverage consulting company that serves top clients in strategy, insights, analytics, and funding prep.

Any questions, please email us at [email protected]