US venture Playboy Spirits has rolled out a range of RTDs in its domestic market.
The business, set up by PLBY Group and an affiliate of Spirits Investment Partners, says the Play Hard drinks “fill the void in premium RTDs”.
In a statement, Marc Bushala, CEO of Playboy Spirits and Spirits Investment Partners, said the RTDs “capture Playboy’s legacy as a bon vivant, lifestyle brand”.
The 4.5% abv canned vodka seltzers are available in four flavours and are initially to be sold at “select retailers” in Miami and Orlando. Playboy Spirits said there are “plans to expand into additional markets throughout 2024”.
Bushala added: “Play Hard celebrates self-expression and a nod to those who like to play hard and have fun.”
PLBY Group and XL Ventures II (XLV), an affiliate of Spirits Investment Partners, set up Playboy Spirits last year.
Since then, the business has also launched Bourbon, Cognac and Tequila products, all marketed under the Rare Hare brand.
In January, the company said it had raised more than $13m in funding from a private placement of senior secured convertible notes by the venture’s wholly-owned operating subsidiary.
Playboy Spirits is owned 40% by a subsidiary of PLBY Group and 60% by XLV.
At the time of the funding announcement, the venture said the conversion of the notes could result in the dilution of Playboy Spirits’ ownership of the operating subsidiary by up to 50% “but would not reduce Playboy Spirits’ managerial control of the business”.
Spirits Investment Partners’ other business interests include Heaven’s Door Spirits, the US distiller it founded with Bob Dylan in 2015.
In April, Heaven’s Door announced plans to open a distillery in Kentucky.
Earlier this week, InvestBev, the US private-equity investor, put an undisclosed sum into RTD business Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits.
Established last year, Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits teams up with celebrities and markets ready-to-drink cocktails.
The company’s products, sold through retailers and directly to consumers, include The Perfect Cosmo by SJP, developed with actor Sarah Jessica Parker.
