On & Off

Nonalcoholic beverages remain growing a category within the industry. Hudson Dry, a nonalcoholic bottle shop focused on beer, wine and spirits, opened last month in upstate New York. We speak with Owner Ryan Curran on operating a nonalc bottle shop, and what he sees as the future of the category, and how other retailers can better market and sell these products.

Joining us is Faith Anderson, founder of Nouvie, a non-alcoholic wine brand focused on delivering the experience and ritual of wine without the alcohol. Anderson talks about the evolution of the premium non-alcoholic category, how consumer expectations are changing and what it takes to create a wine alternative that delivers on flavor, sophistication and the overall drinking experience.

While beer has been struggling lately, the industry got a boost this past summer when the U.S. hosted the World Cup. Across the tournament, host market on-premise beer sales rose 11.1% year over year, helping generate an estimated 2 million additional cases nationwide. We chat with Dr. Andrew Heritage, chief economist for the Beer Institute, about the World Cup effect and other beer trends.

What's it take to grow a nonalc brand in today's competitive environment? We chat with Mark Mozier, founder of Mark’s Mocktails, a nonalc canned cocktail brand that’s wracking up awards in recent time, including WSWA best in show, and our 2026 Beverage Incubator. Mark also discusses his decades of experience in the industry, his thoughts on the current state of the alcohol business, and his love of coaching lacrosse.

What is the current state of independent liquor stores? For answers, we talked with Tom Slattery, owner of JJ's Wine, Spirits & Cigars, a Top 100 Beverage Alcohol Retailer located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Tom discusses the challenging business environment, how bar and food components help his store, and why it's so important to tap into experiential retail.

State Line Distillery in Madison, WI, operates both a production distillery and a cocktail lounge. This gives the company a front-row seat to a shift it’s been seeing from at-home consumption to social drinking on-premise. Founder and head distiller John Mleziva discusses this trend and others, from the two-drink night and zero-proof cocktails to how State Line enhances the lounge guest experience.

What is the state of the wine industry in 2026? And should we be worried or cautiously optimistic? For answers, we talk with Eric Hemer, Senior Vice President of Product Education for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, and the new cohost of Southern Glazer’s popular industry podcast, Served Up.

How can beverage alcohol retailers optimize sales through better category management? For answers, we speak with James Jackson, Sr. Director of Strategic Partnerships & Growth Initiatives at The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals. For more info, and to sign up for their newsletter, check out Catman.global.

While the beer industry has been going through a rough patch in recent years, there are some bright spots. In this episode we talk with Master Cicerone Neil Witte, a consultant to the Beer Institute, on what to look for this year, from lighter lagers and flavored brews to small packaging and an increase in no- and low-alcohol beer.

With the alcohol industry facing plenty of challenges this year, we turn to food & beverage lawyer Oren Bitan, a partner at Buchalter in Los Angeles, for insight on the biggest issues. Our discussion covers everything from tariffs and cannabis beverages to consumers cutting back on alcohol and the outlook for celebrity beverage endorsements in 2026.

What’s going to be hot for 2026? We discuss with the folks at af&co. and Carbonate, the agencies behind the 18th annual Hospitality Trends Report. Tune in to hear why modern Mexican mixology is the drink trend of the year, what wine varietals people will be looking for, the tropical flavor that will be popping up in cocktails, and why we’re excited that Minneapolis is the food city of the year for 2026.

What is the impact of AI in the beverage alcohol industry? For answers, we talk with Ryan Malkin, Principal Attorney at Malkin Law, which specializes in the beverage alcohol industry. Malkin also discusses the recent changes in the hemp-derived THC drinks business and what the future holds there.

What is the future of THC drinks, after the U.S. government scheduled the hemp loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill to close on Nov 13, 2026? For answers, we speak with Xander Shepherd, co-founder of the THC beverage brand Artet.

Aurum Maui, a new restaurant from Destination Hospitality Group, weaves sustainability into every detail of the bar and beverage program, from repurposing citrus peels and fruit offcuts to composting and using reusable or compostable straws. In this episode Aurum Maui’s bar manager Ryan Dunton shares some of the restaurant’s sustainable practices.

In this episode, we’re joined by David Mandell,  co-founder and CEO of Whiskey House of Kentucky, a new, state-of-the-art sourcing house in Elizabethtown, KY, about 30 minutes west of Bardstown. David discusses the state of sourced whiskey, industry technology, and the whiskey market in general.

We’re joined by Dan Kleinman, Chief Brand Officer at Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, to discuss one of the biggest trends in 2025: zebra striping, or swapping back and forth between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages while drinking. What generations are leading this behavior? What does it say about the future of nonalc vs. alc drinking?

In this episode, we interview Sadr Amir, CEO of Downtown Spirits and Esquin Wine & Spirits in Seattle, Washington. These two off-premise brands remain at the forefront of industry trends. Amir discusses the importance of tech and date, experiences and events, the latest alcohol trends, and the scale and nature of the ongoing industry correction.

Ian Blessing and his wife Carly recently opened All The Bitter, a comprehensive zero-proof tasting lounge in Chico, CA. In this episode Ian shares the story of how they went from former French Laundry sommeliers to launching a cocktail bitters brand to opening the no-proof bar/bottle shop, along with some general NA trends and recommendations.