British beverage alcohol company Diageo has announced the acquisition of Loyal 9 Cocktails from Sons of Liberty Spirits Company for an undisclosed sum.

Loyal 9 Cocktails is a spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) brand, which is available in various flavours including Lemonade, Mixed Berry Lemonade and Watermelon Lemonade.

With 9% alcohol by volume (ABV), all the Loyal 9’s vodka-based ready to drink (RTD) cocktails are said to be free of gluten and produced with 100% real fruit.

Sons of Liberty Spirits Company CEO Mike Reppucci said: “True to Loyal 9’s revolutionary roots, we created this brand to introduce something even better for our consumers.

“Loyal 9 is a new and delicious RTD that uses great quality ingredients, is full-flavoured and without compromise. It’s been a fantastic adventure to create and lead Loyal 9’s development to this stage and we’re excited to be passing the baton to Diageo to take this great brand to the next level.”

Currently, Diageo’s spirits-based RTD portfolio includes Crown Royal RTD Cocktails, Tanqueray Crafted Gin Cocktails and Ketel One Botanical Vodka Spritz.

Diageo North America president Debra Crew said: “Loyal 9 hits an RTD ‘sweet spot’, merging American consumers’ growing appreciation for better quality ingredients with the full flavour lemonade they love and a classic Americana feel.

“We have a clear strategy to build and diversify our RTD offerings across price points and consumer segments and Loyal 9 is a great addition to our portfolio, which is also growing through the recent acquisition of Lone River and innovations from several of our brands.”

On another note, Diageo’s Scotch whiskey brand Johnnie Walker has launched its Next Steps initiative, which is said to be the brand’s most ambitious sustainability drive.

The new initiative focuses on more sustainable socialising for everyone.

Through this initiative, the brand aims to reduce its environmental footprint and restore natural landscapes. It aims to reinvent how its whisky is made and distributed globally.

Under its new programme, Johnnie Walker announced a series of commitments by the end of this decade.

Johnnie Walker aims to make its whisky production 100% net-zero carbon and ensure all its distilleries harness renewable energy.

It plans to make all its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable and also invest in projects to restore peatland and plant and protect trees in Scotland.