This week in 1987, INSIGHTS reported on events surrounding the surprising resignation of AB prexy Denny Long, at time "one of the most dramatic moments in brewing industry history." A special AB board meeting was convened on Mar 25 at a hotel in Tampa at which Denny resigned as co announced it had completed investigation that some of Denny's trusted lieutenants "had taken moneys from suppliers." Denny, still just 49 yrs old, had started at AB as a pricing clerk, became August III's assistant 25 yrs ago, and rose to prexy in 1979, "presiding over the brewery day-to-day operations during its greatest growth years." Denny's resignation "was his own choice. He was not asked to resign," group veep Jerry Ritter told INSIGHTS. Denny's statement that took full responsibility for the actions of officers and employees, was "an honest statement" of what occurred, said Jerry.

Oral arguments kicked off yesterday in Supreme Ct case over a dog toy's poop-themed parody of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, with potentially wide-ranging trademark law implications. Recall, the whiskey maker aims to stop VIP Products LLC from selling its "Bad Spaniel's Silly Squeaker," which is shaped and styled like a Jack Daniel's bottle but labeled with satirical spoofs. Jack Daniel's contends the toy infringes on its TM, confuses consumers and damages its reputation; VIP argues no reasonable person would be confused by the product, which is clearly poking fun. Sup Ct agreed to hear case late last yr after 9th Circuit ruled in the toy producer's favor. And DISCUS, BI, BA, Wine Inst, American Distilled Spirits Alliance and American Craft Spirits Assn all filed joint amicus brief in support of Jack Daniel's (see Nov 22 issue).

From steady stream of wholesaler transactions and the shifting AB network in California to on-premise difficulties and the need for more brand building, a panel discussion on beer and beverage distribution at this wk's California Craft Beer Summit in Sacramento covered the waterfront. Featuring California Family Beer Distribs exec director Kevin Luckey, Brewers Assn genl counsel Marc Sorini and AB One prexy Dan Brill (moderated by BMI senior editor Christopher Shepard), the panel danced around some very hot topics. Audience questions cut to the chase, however, quickly revealing deep concerns by many craft brewers about the amount and speed of recent distribution deals in the state.

Innocent, the UK smoothie brand that's owned by Coca-Cola, threw its hat into the dairy-free ring a while back with a trio of coconut-, hazelnut- and almond-based drinks, with the hazelnut entry in particular enjoying a brief vogue on Twitter upon its release. But the line didn't prove to be a hit. Not that we think marketers ever are inclined to shade the truth, but Innocent has adopted what seems to us to be an unusually honest approach in bringing its social media followers the "nutterly disappointing news" of line's demise.

Ryse Energy, which has been seeking to fill void created by departure of C4 and Celsius from many wholesalers' portfolios, has won chainwide authorization in Couche-Tard's Circle K c-store chain, with stores in heartland states and in SE. Rollout should be completed by next month, co indicated. . . Whole Foods, a partner of Reed's since 1990, has onboarded a flock of 7 of its canned innovation items: Reed's Extra Ginger Beer, Reed's Zero Sugar Extra Ginger Beer, Reed's Real Ginger Ale, Reed's Zero Sugar Real Ginger Ale, Virgil's Zero Sugar Root Beer, Virgil's Zero Sugar Vanilla Cream and Virgil's Zero Sugar Black Cherry. As part of expansion, select Virgil's soda flavors will be placed in grab-&-go coolers . . . Golden Grail Technology said DSD house John Lenore has picked up its Sway Energy brand for its San Diego footprint, as has Full Circle Distributors in Pittsburgh . . . Petalfast cannabis platform said it's onboarded Find Wunder line of Delta-9 and Delta-8 THC-infused sparkling bevs, joining portfolio that includes likes of Space Coyote, Emerald Sky, Bloom Brands and Yada Yada.

Mark Anthony only plays in alcohol via brands like White Claw hard seltzer, Mike's Hard Lemonade and Cedar Creek Wine, so it's not specifically germane to this newsletter. But the company founded and operated by Anthony von Mandl is worth highlighting every now & then for its resolute independence and its creativity on marketing and innovation fronts. It serves as an example of how sizable enterprise can be built without recourse to debt or private-equity, or with an ultimate exit in mind, as Red Bull and AriZona Bevs have demonstrated on NA side.

On surface, Owen's Mixers' partnership with concert promoter Live Nation - with a minority investment from Live Nation as part of the deal - seems like a slamdunk. After all, Owen's offers fresh, renegade take on category dominated by more mixology-driven entities, its branding is appealing to broad swath of consumers whose music tastes span country to hiphop, and its no-muss, no-fuss small cans fit right in wheelhouse of harried bartenders. Still, as cofounder/ceo Josh Miller recalled it to us last week, Live Nation did not go lightly about process. "They evaluated a ridiculous amount of brands in our space" via year-long process, he recalled. "We probably had over 1,000 meetings."

F3C, fund focused on early-stage brands that sports many familiar faces in its partner ranks, has announced $25 mil in new capital commitments, TechCrunch reported today. The Family Fund & Founder Community, its full name, is operated by Vital Protein's Kurt Seidensticker, SnackNation's Sean Kelly and Forcebrands' Josh Wand and has built a pool of 50+ founders/ceo including likes of Super Coffee's Tyler Ricks and Hop WTR's Jordan Bass. Kelly told TechCrunch that fund's "secret sauce" is that they're all operators and therefore intimately familiar with journey to success. They're targeting late-seed and Series A rounds, seeking targets that can get to profitability, Kelly told tech bloggers. Among 9 initial investments are at least a coupla bev plays: Hop WTR and supplement and energy drink marketer Ghost.