By Kate Bernot

Beer remains the top-selling alcohol product in convenience stores but spirits are increasingly picking up momentum. Many shoppers seeking premium, convenient, flavor-forward drinks are now reaching for canned cocktails and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages.

But spirits aren’t legal to sell in every store or state and in those cases malt- and wine-based cocktails that offer many of the same attributes as their liquor-based siblings are meeting the needs of shoppers and allowing retailers to tap into the RTD demand—making them among one of the fastest-growing alcohol categories in c-stores according to NIQ off-premise sales data through April 19 analyzed by Dave Williams of Bump Williams Consulting.

Malt- and Wine-Based Cocktails Fill the Spirits Gap

The popularity of brands like Cayman Jack, BeatBox and Clubtails speaks to this phenomenon. None of these brands are spirits-based but they refer to themselves as a “premium prepared cocktail” (Cayman Jack), a “party punch” (BeatBox) and a “cocktail in a can” (Clubtails). Even brands born in the liquor segment such as Fireball, Jack Daniel’s and Pink Whitney have launched successful malt-based counterparts that are among convenience stores’ top volume-gain leaders in the flavored malt beverage space according to Williams’ analysis of the NIQ data.

Of course, there are legal guardrails for how products are labeled and marketed but overall consumers do not appear too concerned with the fermentable base. They want flavor, convenience and a compelling brand. If it looks, tastes and functions like a margarita … does it need to include tequila?

Flavored Malt Beverages Outpace Competition

Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) over index in convenience stores and command a roughly 9% volume share of beer in the channel compared to about 5.5% in grocery and about 7.5% in all outlets according to the NIQ data. In his analysis, Williams noted that new, cocktail-inspired brands continue to enter the FMB space including White Claw’s ClawTails line and Jumex Hard Nectar.

“The attributes are all there when it comes to consumer demand and the flow of dollars across beverage-alcohol which still indicate potential for long-term success,” said Chris Stewart, Casey’s VP of merchandising, at the 2025 Beverage Forum. These attributes include familiar flavors, convenient packaging and a cocktail experience.

Cayman Jack is a brand that encapsulates this well. Variety packs have introduced new flavors such as Strawberry Margarita and even new styles of drink including a paloma, Cuban Mojito and Moscow Mule.

High Demand for Immediate Intake

Alcohol brands that are succeeding in convenience stores are doing so by taking a consumer-first mindset. In the case of FMBs and wine-based cocktails, they have found a fertile space between the desire for a cocktail and the lack of interest in making a separate trip to the liquor store.

NACS 2024 Convenience Voices data shows that roughly 80% of c-store purchases are consumed within the hour. Shoppers are there to satisfy an immediate desire which is a different approach from that of a shopper in a liquor store who may be stocking up for a party a week in advance, for example. If a customer wants a cocktail experience right away, the base fermentable is less important than the product’s other attributes such as flavor, ABV and brand aesthetics.

The ongoing success of cocktail-adjacent beverages is a reminder to the industry to periodically put aside its own assumptions and approach the shelf as a shopper would: What drinks are they seeking? For what occasions? What on-premise staple isn’t available … but should be? Right now, malt- and wine-based cocktails are checking plenty of customers’ boxes—and riding high because of it.

Curious about how spirit-based beverages are faring in the convenience space? Read “Raise a Can to Spirits” in the August 2025 issue of NACS Magazine.