That was one of the insights Danny Brager, the industry consultant, presented to attendees at Acces Live!

To be sure, spirit-based ready-to-drink cocktails account for only 10% of all spirits dollars. But – get this – they account for "an incredible 26% of spirits volume,” said Brager. “That means they’re larger in volume than vodka or whiskey.”

Brager attributed this shift in RTDs appeal to what he styled as the “Four Fs”: flavor, format, function and financial accessibility. “They check all the boxes: great taste, portability, sometimes functional benefits and attractive pricing.”

In addition, both wine- and spirits-based RTDs are taking share from malt-based seltzers — and the innovation pipeline remains strong.

Brager and his fellow SipSource analyst Dale Stratton noted premiumization is under pressure. We've been warning that the continued increase in prices – the premiumization trend – was unsustainable and Stratton said " the over-$100 high end has really been under pressure for about two and a half years.”

But the low-end value business also continues to struggle. Smart businesses will respond by putting greater emphasis on the middle price tiers. “We’re starting to see convergence in trends in the center,” said Stratton. “There’s still premiumization, but we’re nervous about it. Consumers are more selective. They’re drinking better, not necessarily more.”

Bright Spots for Wine

The wine category remains a challenging one, with overall revenue down 7.1% in 2025. But Brager and Stratton both pointed to promising signs in sparkling and higher-end segments.

“Prosecco continues to grow — it was up 3.7% in revenue last year,” Stratton noted. “Champagne has been volatile since the pandemic but came back. Imported sparkling is up; domestic sparkling is down.”

The lowest-end price tiers remain in decline, while some regions (including California’s Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles) are showing opportunities above the $16 mark.

Brager stressed the importance of going deeper: “There’s still good growth if you look at varietals, price tiers and specific regions. You just have to dig to find it.”

What's behind these trends

Our analysis: The Washington political class, especially those tied to President Trump, continue to deny there's an affordability crisis. But a Wall Street Journal article reports the average client seeking help from credit-counseling agencies across the country now makes about $70,000 a year, with unsecured debt levels nearing $35,000 or half their income. Before the pandemic, the typical client enrolled in counseling made about $40,000 a year and carried $10,000 in unsecured debit, or roughly 25% of their income.

“We are seeing a disturbing shift from discretionary debt to survival debt,” Mike Croxson, chief executive of the National Federation of Credit Counselors told the WSJ..

The number of missed payments by existing counseling clients is increasing and that's particularly concerning, Croxson said, because those borrowers are already on structured repayment plans, with fixed monthly payments based on budgets designed to be manageable.

This explains why Stratton and Brager are seeing budget brands struggle. Normally, when someone can't afford top-shelf brands they trade down. But Federal data also show a worsening concentration of stress among lower-income borrowers. In the credit-card and auto loan categories, serious delinquencies are near highs last seen in the aftermath of the 2008-09 financial crisis. Some 13% of people who took out FHA mortgages are at least 30 days delinquent, the Journal reports.

The simple answer for weakness in the low-end: Many of its normal consumers simply don't have any discretionary dollars left, a situation made word by the end of Medicare subsidies.

Brager and Stratton's Advice

“Yes, there are outside forces: the economy, inflation, tariffs. But we also know what we can influence — and that’s where our focus should be,” said Stratton.

Adds Brager: Focus on solutions. Accept the challenges, adapt and move forward — like we’ve always done.”