The most popular new products on Drizly this season showed consumers’ passion for portable, easy-to-enjoy beverages: A full 60 percent of the top 20 most popular new products released during April, May, and June come in a single-serve format. From traditional beers like Newburyport’s Plum Island Belgian White Ale, to novel seltzers like Vizzy Orange Cream Pop Hard Seltzer and Underwood’s canned sparkling wine, these new releases showcase the broad appeal of single-serve packaging and consumers’ continued willingness to try new drinks in alternative formats. 

In addition to single-serve beverages, Q2’s most popular new releases display the expansion of larger consumption trends. “Many of the macro trends we have seen over the past few quarters are included with this products list, including continued innovation in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category as well as consumer interest in premium and limited-edition spirits releases,” explains Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights. 

Read on to learn what the popularity of these new products reveals about the current state of the market. 

Limited-Edition Spirits Retain Their Appeal

A full 25 percent of the most popular new products on Drizly this quarter are limited-edition spirits, specifically whiskeys and tequila. While both categories have seen strong growth in the past several years, their staying power is remarkable given the overall cooling of premiumization trends. 

“While we are seeing premium shopping slow overall, tequila is one of the key categories where it is holding strong,” says Paquette, noting Patrón’s El Cielo was the second-most popular new product this quarter. “Tequila has the highest average unit price within the top-selling spirits categories and is up nearly $10 compared to 2019.”

Among whiskeys, the season’s most popular new releases were Jack Daniels 12-Year Batch #1, Midleton Dair Ghaelach Kylebeg Wood Tree No. 2 Irish Whisky, Jack Daniels 10-Year Batch #2, and 2XO Innkeepers Blend Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, demonstrating the strong year-round appeal of limited-edition whiskeys among consumers. 

The Spritz Sensation Expands 

’Tis the season of the spritz: Among Drizly’s most popular new products of Q2, three were DeLola’s new spritz flavors. The brand, which is owned by pop star Jennifer Lopez, launched its Paloma Rosa, Bella Berry, and L’Orange Spritz flavors this season and won instant popularity among consumers.

“While it is not a totally new trend, we have a significant spike this year,” says Paquette of the red-hot spritz category. “Additionally, we have seen the spritz trend carry into the ready-to-drink category, with new brands and releases recreating spritz cocktails into pre-made formats.”

Paquette also notes that sales of DIY spritz ingredients are increasing alongside ready-to-drink versions of the classic cocktail. Aperol in particular has become the highest-selling liqueur on Drizly, with its share expanding within the category by 23 percent in June 2023 over June 2022.  

Celebrity Collabs Keep the Fans Coming

The rise of celebrity collaborations across the drinks industry is nothing new, but this quarter saw a spike in gains made by celebrity-owned and -endorsed products – even in categories where overall growth has slowed. 

Happy Dad hard seltzer, for instance, snapped up two of the top 10 most popular new product spots with its Death Row Records Grape and Happy Mom Raspberry flavors. DeLola’s affiliation with Jennifer Lopez likewise helped catapult her three spritz flavors onto the most popular new products list. 

“Despite hard seltzer share being on the decline this year, Happy Dad has found success in the category, particularly with its unique flavors and collaborations,” says Paquette. “DeLola is capitalizing on two key trends in the spirits category, ready-to-drink cocktails and spritz cocktails – both of which have been driving sales year-to-date.”

Classic Beers Step Into The Spotlight

This season’s new beer releases capitalize on timeless styles like IPAs, Belgian white ales, and fruit-infused brews. The blueberry-flavored The Brew Bus You’re My Boy, Blue, Montauk Box variety pack, and Newburyport Plum Island Belgian White all gained fans upon their release this quarter. 

The Gift Sets Keep Giving

Within the wine category, two of Drizly’s wine gift sets showed striking popularity, suggesting that consumers are continuing to reach for wine to celebrate occasions like graduations and weddings. 

“While we do see a spike in gift orders in the May-June time frame around holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as well as graduations, gifting remains an important part of Drizly order share year-round as consumers celebrate everyday occasions like birthdays, promotions, housewarmings, and other special moments,” explains Paquette. 

Notably, both of Drizly’s The Pinot Noir Duo: California vs. Oregon and The Napa Cabs Duo feature exclusively red wines which traditionally see gains during colder months. Underwood’s newly released sparkling wine, a canned wine from Oregon, also made the Q2 most popular products list on Drizly. 

Overall, wine trends have shifted away from typical seasonal norms with rosé wines down eight percent over 2022 levels, while white wine purchasing has increased slightly over 2022 sales year-to-date.