Tito’s is trolling canned cocktails with a $200 empty keg

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business

New York (CNN) — Tito’s Handmade Vodka is elevating its war against canned cocktails.

For $200, the vodka maker is selling a “Tito’s in a Big Can,” which is a 128-ounce empty mini-keg that encourages drinkers to make their own cocktails rather than giving into the “canformity” (their word) of canned cocktails.

“Last year, we drew a line in the sand while giving consumers the opportunity to make cocktails the way they like them, for themselves,” Taylor Berry, vice president of brand marketing for Tito’s, exclusively told CNN.

This tongue-in-cheek stunt is a follow-up to its previous troll — called “Tito’s in a Can” — when it sold $20 refillable cans aimed at spurring people’s inner mixologists.

The refillable mini-keg is now on sale for a limited time at Tito’s online store with net proceeds benefiting charity.

Customers have been asking Tito’s to enter the canned cocktail space, Berry told CNN. It has resisted because Tito’s would rather focus on making vodka.

“Tito’s was built on the idea that if you are going to do something, do it well, and charge a reasonable amount, which is why all of our energy is focused on making the best-quality vodka around. We believe that by taking mixology into your own hands, you can customize drinks to your liking, rather than continuing to get stuck with a variety pack flavor you hate,” he said.

Vodka is the top-selling spirit in the United States, raking in more than $7 billion in sales last year according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS). Tito’s has grown in popularity since the Texas-based brand began in 1995 by Bert “Tito” Beveridge. The family-owned company doesn’t reveal sales figures, but Tito’s is the country’s top-selling vodka brand, according to third-party data.

Pre-mixed cocktails are also growing in popularity, DISCUS said, with the category growing 36% in sales last year to more than $2 billion. Rivals, like Grey Goose, Smirnoff and Ketel One, have been aggressively entering the space with their own takes on the trend.

Despite that growth, Berry said that Tito’s isn’t scared they’re missing out on the trend.

“Ultimately, from a brand standpoint, [we’re] holding true to what we know and the strategy we’ve had from the beginning — making vodka,” he said. “There’s an element of this brand not being sellouts.”

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