Lonerider Spirits of Holly Springs, North Carolina, has expanded the footprint of its whiskey mule RTD to include an initial launch into 100 ABC stores in Virginia in 2020.
The ginger and lime whiskey mule comes in a 4-pack of 12 oz. cans and the ABV is 7%. “We are pleased to be featured in Virginia,” says Chris Mielke, President of Lonerider Spirits. “I can’t wait for our fellow outlaws to pick up a 4-pack on their way to the beautiful beaches in Virginia!”
The RTD cocktail category is on the rise which is a great opportunity for spirits creators like Lonerider. According to the Mintel Group, it’s a trend that will continue. The company’s December 2017 RTD Alcoholic Beverages report forecasts a 24% gain for spirits-based RTD cocktails for the period from 2017 through 2022.
“We’re hoping to scale up past 100 stores in Virginia but we’re a small distillery,” Chris explains. “Hopefully the consumer demand for our spirits will help us grow and we’ll be able to have our RTD in all Virginia ABC stores soon.”
Lonerider Spirits recently won the WRAL.com Voters’ Choice Award for the Best Distillery – the “best of” ballot gives the WRAL.com audience an opportunity to vote for their favorite people, businesses and services in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville and other areas of North Carolina. In 2019 Lonerider Spirits won a gold medal from the ADI, gold and bronze medals from the SFWSC, a bronze medal from the ACSA, bronze and silver medals from the NYIS, silver medals from the SIP Awards as well as being named “NC Bourbon Distillery of the Year”.