News Briefs for August 22, 2025

•Suntory Global Spirits has expanded -196 Vodka Seltzer in the U.S. with a new lower calorie and abv variant. -196 Zero Sugar Lemon comes in at 4% abv and 85 calories per 355-ml. can. The new release joins Lemon, Strawberry, Grapefruit, and Peach in the brand’s U.S. portfolio. Zero Sugar Lemon comes in 4-packs of 355-ml. cans that carry a suggested retail price of $11. -196 is the largest spirits brand globally by volume at more than 30 million cases in 2024, according to Impact Databank. In the U.S., -196 was at 160,000 cases last year, up from 20,000 cases a year earlier.

•Louisville, Kentucky-based Michter’s has announced the 2025 edition of US*1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash. The 43% abv whiskey is part of the distiller’s line of Toasted Barrel whiskies, which also includes a Bourbon and a rye. The 2025 edition carries a suggested price of $110 a 750-ml. and will be available in limited quantities across the U.S. beginning in September.

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