Cutwater Spirits, LLC

Cutwater Spirits is the San Diego craft spirits operation that's grown into the most-distributed canned cocktail brand in the United States — and the production source behind much of the modern American ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail category that's become one of the fastest-growing segments of the broader U.S. alcoholic beverage market through the late 2010s and early 2020s. Founded in 2007 as Ballast Point Spirits (the spirits-side spin-off of San Diego's Ballast Point Brewing Company), the operation rebranded as Cutwater Spirits in 2016 when it separated from the brewery side, then was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev in February 2019 — making it AB InBev's first U.S. spirits acquisition and the company's strategic entry into the broader "Beyond Beer" spirits-and-RTD category.

The Cutwater commercial trajectory has been remarkable. In the 52-week period ending January 26, 2019 (just before the AB InBev acquisition), Cutwater's RTD cocktail dollar sales grew 356% — vastly outpacing the broader spirits-based canned cocktail segment's 66% growth rate. The acquisition gave AB InBev a substantial foothold in the rapidly-expanding RTD category alongside the parent's existing Ritas, SpikedSeltzer, Babe Rose, and HiBall brands. Cutwater has since become the most-awarded canned cocktail brand in the United States, with the broader product portfolio scaling into national distribution at a pace essentially no other American craft RTD brand has matched.

The product range covers an unusually broad cross-category footprint. The base spirits side includes Cutwater Vodka, Cutwater Gin, Cutwater Rum, Cutwater Whiskey, and Cutwater Tequila (the foundational spirit base for the broader RTD program). The premixed cocktail mixer line includes seven premium mixers (Bloody Mary mix, lime mix, ginger beer, and others). The flagship canned cocktail line covers 14+ spirits-based RTD canned cocktails — Cutwater Tequila Margarita, Cutwater Vodka Mule, Cutwater Bloody Mary, Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai, Cutwater Whiskey Mule, Cutwater Long Island Tea, and the expanding seasonal and limited-edition lineup that drives much of the brand's commercial growth.

The San Diego visitor experience runs through the Cutwater facility in the broader San Diego beverage corridor, with on-site distillery tours, a tasting room, and an active cocktail program that treats the Cutwater range as the working palette for serious mixology. The AB InBev distribution backbone has anchored Cutwater's expansion across U.S. national retail and on-premise distribution at a scale most craft American spirits brands can't approach, while the original Ballast Point heritage continues to shape the brand's craft-spirits production identity.