Molson Coors Beverage Co has come good on its CEO’s pledge that M&A is a “potential solution” to the group’s current challenges, agreeing the acquisition of Monaco RTD owner Atomic Brands.
The purchase, confirmed by the Miller Lite owner today (23 March), is for the full Atomic business, which comprises two brands, Monaco and coffee-flavoured American whiskey Kentucky Coffee. In its announcement, Molson Coors referenced the RTD mark throughout, but made no mention of the latter brand.
Financial details were also not disclosed.
Since commencing trading in 2012, privately owned Atomic has grown the Monaco range of spirits-based RTDs to feature Hard Lemonade flavours, a raft of Crush/Rush SKUs and four variants of margarita. According to its new owner, which cited Nielsen figures to qualify the claim, the brand “has grown to become a top-five RTD cocktail brand in the US and holds a 5% market share of RTD singles”.
The transaction comes two months after Rahul Goyal, who became group CEO in October, told the 2026 Beer, Wine & Spirits Summit in California that he considered inorganic growth as a “potential solution” for Molson Coors. He added: “[When it comes to M&A] it has to be brands that matter; brands that give us a platform to scale.”
In today’s announcement, Goyal said: “This brand was developed from the ground up, with dedication and a fanbase fostered through real, in-person experiences. We believe it has the scale, the consumer loyalty and the runway for growth that we’ve been looking for … .
“Monaco is built different. Very few brands blend quality, value and fun quite like Monaco does … .”
Atomic founder & CEO Don Deubler added: “We pioneered the canned-cocktail category when it was all but forgotten, igniting a new generation of drinkers with bold, pop-culture-inspired flavours, iconic packaging and consistent high-energy messaging.
“Today, joining forces with Molson Coors fills me with gratitude for everyone who believed in us along the way. This next chapter will harness their unmatched distribution reach, operational expertise and passion for iconic consumer brands to bring Monaco’s high-octane fun to even more fans nationwide.”
Among the other RTDs in Molson Coors’ arsenal are Vizzy Hard Seltzer, Simply Spiked and Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, the latter two being owned by The Coca-Cola Co but produced, distributed and marketed by the brewer.
