Mark Anthony Group Buys The Finnish Long Drink

Mark Anthony Group, the company behind White Claw, said it will buy The Finnish Long Drink, a ready-to-drink brand backed by actor Miles Teller, in a move that expands its push into spirits-based canned cocktails and gives it a larger platform across North America.

The deal, announced Tuesday, is expected to close in the coming weeks. Mark Anthony Group already serves as The Finnish Long Drink’s exclusive distributor in Canada and said it will now use its sales and distribution network to accelerate the brand’s growth in the United States and Canada. The company did not disclose financial terms.

Phil Rosse, chief executive of Mark Anthony Group, said the company has focused on brands that can stand out in a crowded RTD market and that Long Drink has already shown strong momentum. He said the acquisition creates an opportunity to widen the brand’s reach and bring it to more consumers.

The Finnish Long Drink will join a portfolio that includes White Claw, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Cayman Jack Cocktails. It is Mark Anthony’s first major acquisition of a spirits-based RTD brand; most of its other products are built on malt bases rather than distilled spirits.

The Finnish Long Drink sold 2.6 million 9-liter cases in 2024, according to the company. That followed its crossing of the 1 million-case mark two years earlier. The brand was founded in 2018 by Mikael Taipale, Ere Manner, Sakari Manninen and American Evan Burns with the goal of bringing Finland’s national drink to the U.S. market.

In Finland, long drink refers to a canned beverage made from gin and, most commonly, grapefruit soda. The drink traces its origins to the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympics, when Finland’s government created it for visitors.

Taipale said the brand was built around a tradition that has lasted for generations in Finland. Burns said joining Mark Anthony would help the company scale faster and introduce Long Drink to a broader audience.

The brand’s lineup includes Traditional, Zero, Strong, Cranberry, Pineapple and Peach versions. It has also drawn celebrity support from golfers Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas, DJ Kygo and actor Nina Dobrev.

Teller said he first encountered Long Drink as a fan and saw Mark Anthony as the right partner to expand the brand without changing what made it appealing. The Finnish Long Drink was ranked the 10th fastest-growing spirits brand in the world in 2024 in The Brand Champions 2025 report. In January 2023, when Teller increased his stake in the company, it was sold in 43 U.S. markets and was described as the fourth most popular RTD brand in the country.

The acquisition comes as larger drinks companies continue to buy into the RTD category. In recent months, Sazerac acquired Dirty Shirley and Molson Coors agreed to buy the company behind Monaco Cocktails.