• by Teresa Buyikian , August 14, 2023

Today Dunkin’ announced the launch of its alcoholic Dunkin’ Spiked Tea and Coffee canned beverages, available in grocery and package stores across 12 states.

Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Coffee has an ABV of 6%, with four flavors: Dunkin’ Spiked Original Iced Coffee, Dunkin’ Spiked Caramel Iced Coffee, Dunkin’ Spiked Mocha Iced Coffee and Dunkin’ Spiked Vanilla Iced Coffee.

Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Tea, the brand’s first venture into the hard tea category, has an ABV of 5% and offers four flavors: Dunkin’ Spiked Slightly Sweet Iced Tea, Dunkin’ Spiked Half & Half Iced Tea, Dunkin’ Spiked Strawberry Dragonfruit Iced Tea Refresher and Dunkin’ Spiked Mango Pineapple Iced Tea Refresher.

Both the tea and coffee items are flavored malt beverages, which means the source of alcohol is a fermented base made from grain including malted barley.

“We knew we had the opportunity to create something special when we saw the positive response to our previous seasonal collaborations for Dunkin’-inspired beers,” said Brian Gilbert, vice president of retail business development at Dunkin', in a press release. The company declined to provide revenue numbers of the previous collab, the Harpoon Dunkin' Box O' Beer mix pack,  but did cite a growing appetite for adult beverages among consumers as another reason for the new alcohol launch.

Sales of flavored malt beverages grew from $2.8 billion to nearly $4 billion in 2022 and continue to go up- 20.6% so far this year, according to NielsenIQ.

“This is a brilliant idea. Coffee is part of a daily ritual for millions of people, and ready-to-drink cocktails are a growing sector of the market. For those who love their Dunkin’ coffee, I’m sure they’re going to love it with booze,” commented Josh Levine, culture-marketing consultant for such brands as Tsingtao Brewery, Dr Pepper,and 7UP. “Super smart way to build brand value and also address changing demands and interests.”

Both the ready-to-drink Spiked Iced Coffee and Iced Tea are available in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont, and are set to roll out nationally later this year.

However, the Dunkin’ Spiked line of products will not be available at any of the more that 13,200 Dunkin’ restaurant locations worldwide.