Ultra Pure Launches Sugar Brew™, a Premium Fermented Cane Base for the Booming RTD Cocktail Market

Produced in partnership with Ireland's West Cork Distillers; distribution handled through Ultra Pure's Kentucky bonded facility.

DARIEN, Conn., June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ultra Pure LLC, the largest family-owned supplier of bulk alcohol to the beverage and industrial industries, today announced the launch of Sugar Brew™, a premium fermented sugar cane alcohol base built specifically for Ready-to-Drink (RTD) cocktails, hard seltzers, and flavored malt beverages. Sugar Brew is produced in partnership with West Cork Distillers in Skibbereen, Ireland, with all U.S. distribution and customer service handled through Ultra Pure's bonded Kentucky facility.

The launch coincides with the most consequential growth period in modern beverage alcohol history. According to industry estimates, the US RTD market reached roughly $27 billion in 2026 and is forecast to grow at a 14% compound annual rate, with spirit-based RTDs expanding more than 20% annually. The fermented cane base category — the foundation behind many leading hard seltzers — has become one of the most strategically important ingredients in the industry.

Sugar Brew is naturally gluten-free, neutral, and colorless, giving distilled spirits plants (DSPs) and emerging brand owners a true blank canvas for fruit-forward, botanical, and classic-cocktail flavor builds. Finished beverages formulated as flavored malt beverages or hard seltzers using a fermented cane base may qualify, subject to TTB approval, for a lower federal excise tax rate and broader retail channel access than distilled spirit RTDs. Sugar Brew is available in 264-gallon totes from stock and in tanker quantities by special order.

The partnership with West Cork Distillers brings best-in-class fermentation expertise to the program. Founded in 2003 in West Cork, Ireland, West Cork Distillers has grown into the largest independently owned distillery on the island of Ireland, with significant fermentation capacity and a deep reputation for quality and sustainability. Sugar Brew is produced at the West Cork facility under Ultra Pure's specifications, then shipped to Ultra Pure's Kentucky bonded warehouse for U.S. distribution to customers across the country.

"The RTD category is the single biggest opportunity in beverage alcohol right now, and our customers have been asking us for a serious sugar brew program for years," said Niels van der Kloot, President of Ultra Pure. "Partnering with West Cork Distillers gives us a world-class production source, and routing everything through our Kentucky facility means our customers get the same fast, reliable service they already trust from Ultra Pure. Customers get more than a base, they get in country logistics and 20 years of beverage relationships behind every shipment."

Sugar Brew is available for order today. Sample requests, quotes, and technical specifications are available at sugarbrew.com.

About Ultra Pure LLC

Ultra Pure LLC is the largest family-owned supplier of high-quality bulk alcohol to the beverage and industrial industries in the United States. With 20 years of family ownership and nine U.S. bonded distribution facilities, Ultra Pure serves more than 1,000 customers with a catalog spanning aged bourbons and whiskies, gin, rum, cream liqueurs, grain neutral spirits, organic and sugar cane alcohol, and denatured alcohols. Learn more at bulkalcohol.com.

About West Cork Distillers

Founded in 2003 by three friends in Union Hall, West Cork, West Cork Distillers has grown into the largest independently owned distillery on the island of Ireland. The company operates from its Skibbereen, County Cork facility and is recognized internationally for its award-winning Irish whiskey portfolio and its commitment to quality production and sustainability. Learn more at westcorkirishwhiskey.com.

SOURCE Ultra Pure, LLC