Diageo has acquired US non-alcoholic spirits brand Ritual Zero Proof Non-Alcoholic Spirits (Ritual) for an undisclosed sum.
The brand, launched in Chicago in 2019, is the number one non-alcoholic spirits brand in the US and the sixth largest globally, according to ISWR figures.
Its portfolio includes alternatives to whiskey, tequila, gin, rum and aperitif-style drinks. The serves are designed to be subbed in like for like with spirits in classic cocktail recipes.
The acquisition comes after Diageo took a minority stake in Ritual via its Distill Ventures incubator in 2020.
Following the deal, Ritual co-founder David Crooch would remain “actively involved with the brand” and had been named general manager of Diageo’s North America non-alcoholic business unit, Diageo said.
As the market leader in alcohol-free in three of the segment’s largest markets globally, and the owner of three of the five largest non-alcoholic brands globally by value, Diageo was “well positioned to build on Ritual’s already strong position”, the London-listed company said.
Ritual met “growing consumer demand for flavourful and sophisticated yet accessible spirits alternatives”, said Sally Grimes, CEO of Diageo North America.
It would “beautifully complement” the group’s existing non-alcoholic propositions such as Seedlip, Gordon’s 0.0% and Captain Morgan 0.0%, and “present consumers with even more choice and variety”, she added.
The deal was “proof of the mainstream potential” of alcohol-free spirits, said Ritual co-founder Marcus Sakey.
Diageo and Ritual had a “shared ambition to make sure a non-alcoholic cocktail is available on every menu and on every grocery and liquor store shelf”, he added.
Presently, Ritual is not sold in the UK.
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