Episode 144: The 2026 Imbibe 75 With Angus Rittenburg

THC beverages weren’t even an afterthought when Imbibe debuted in 2006. But the category is a massive and rapidly changing part of the beverage world today. For this episode, we talk with Angus Rittenburg, co-founder of Wynk THC seltzers and one of our 2026 Imbibe 75 People to Watch, about the opportunities and challenges facing the THC and CBD beverage category.

Radio Imbibe is the audio home of Imbibe magazine. In each episode, we dive into liquid culture, exploring the people, places, and flavors of the drinkscape through conversations about cocktails, coffee, beer, spirits, and wine. Keep up with us on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook. And if you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you join us—click here to subscribe. 

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Paul Clarke 

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Radio Imbibe from Imbibe Magazine. I’m Paul Clarke, Imbibe‘s editor-in-chief. 

In the 20 years that we’ve been putting together Imbibe Magazine, we’ve covered many different aspects of the drinks world. There are spirits and cocktails, of course. It’d be hard to miss the work we’ve done in those areas over the years. We’ve also always held wine, beer, coffee, and tea very close to our editorial hearts. And we make sure that we dedicate time, attention, and resources to each sector of the beverage spectrum in every issue that we put out. 

But when we first got started in 2006, there was another type of beverage that was not on our radar at all, or really anybody’s radar back in those days. In recent years, with the ongoing legalization and decriminalization of recreational cannabis at the state level, coupled with a wider opportunity and demand for the development of beverages containing THC and or CBD derived from hemp or cannabis, we’ve seen a tremendous growth in these types of beverages, creating a whole new category that we didn’t even think to expect 20 years ago. Factor in the number of competing and conflicting state laws and regulations governing the sector, along with competing and conflicting views at the federal level, and add in the tremendous amount of money and market potential that comes with this category, and you have a rapidly changing situation that can be forbiddingly confusing. 

I was certainly confused about the category until last summer, when at the annual Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans, I sat down one morning for a conversation with Angus Rittenburg, a former Tesla engineer and now THC beverage innovator and entrepreneur. Angus is the co-founder of Wynk, a THC seltzer now available in most states and by online retail. This year, we added Angus Rittenburg to our annual Imbibe 75 list of people and places who will change the way we drink. And I invited Angus to join me for an episode of Radio Imbibe to explain more about his path into the THC beverage space and what opportunities and challenges this category is encountering during its rapid expansion and evolution. 

Paul Clarke

Angus, welcome to Radio Imbibe. 

Angus Rittenburg

Thanks for having me. Excited to share our story with you. 

Paul Clarke

Absolutely. Thank you for taking the time to chat. I’m excited to have you on the podcast and to speak with you for the magazine about the work that you’re doing with your THC seltzer brand, Wynk, and within the THC and CBD beverage space. Before we get into the particulars, we should note at the outset that your background isn’t really in the beverage space. You kind of came into this industry from a very different place. What were you initially doing and what did you see about this part of the beverage world that interested you and compelled you to take this kind of career detour? 

Angus Rittenburg

Yeah, my background is really engineering. So I studied engineering in school, went on to be a battery design engineer at Tesla. I was there for about two years working on the Model 3 battery pack design. And, you know, leaving college, I always wanted to either join a very small company or start my own. Tesla ended up being the most interesting option that I could find at that time that I thought had the most realistic goal. So I went to Tesla and got a lot of great experience, but was always hungry for something more entrepreneurial.

I ended up leaving Tesla without identifying exactly what I was going to do, but wanted to free up the time to find the right opportunity. So what was interesting to me, this was about 2020, was the THC beverage category in Canada was growing. I didn’t really understand it. I wasn’t a cannabis consumer at all. But I could see, you know, something new and interesting going on in Canada.

I was wondering, you know, why isn’t this happening in the U.S.? So looking into it a little bit more, I realized the issue in the U.S. at that time and the issue was that you needed to produce THC products in each state that you sold because marijuana-derived THC was and still is federally illegal. You couldn’t ship across state lines, but many of the states had created their own cannabis programs within the state.

So while there were a lot of other products, gummies, vapes, pre-rolls, etcetera, in a bunch of states, there was no beverage. And the reason is that the infrastructure cost to build a beverage production facility is very high compared to these other products. And under those state programs, the points of distribution were very limited. You know, you’re only selling through, largely at that time, medical dispensaries where consumers needed to be patients. They had to have medical cards to buy.

So this was really interesting to me from an engineering standpoint. I thought, you know, if we could create a way to produce beverages on a state-by-state basis without having to build facilities in every single state, we could have a monopoly in those markets because we’d be the only ones able to produce. 

Paul Clarke

Right. 

Angus Rittenburg

And so what I sketched out on a napkin was a design for a 53-foot tractor trailer with a full canning system on it and something that we could partner with existing license holders in each state that had a facility and bring this production capability to them along with a brand and formulation. So I took that napkin sketch and in two months built it into a real machine. And then it actually worked. And so at that point, it’s like, wow. Wow, you know, we have we have a tool to produce these beverages. Now we need to figure out what we’re going to make. 

Paul Clarke

Right, right. So just to recap. Next to reiterate for folks, you know, and this is something that’s always kind of confused me or I find challenging about this part of the beverage space, is first off that just immense number of Byzantine regulations and rules that vary from state to state, and then how rapidly those rules change. By working on this, by working on this model where you came up with this tractor trailer, basically a mobile production facility, you could go from state to state, work within each of those states with their regulations, and make it work for you on that part. Is that correct? 

Angus Rittenburg

Yes, that’s correct. And it was, you know, it’s always been extremely complicated navigating cannabis laws in the U.S., largely because they vary state to state. So when I created the system, you know, I worked with a lot of the regulators in different markets to make sure that we came up with a solution that was compliant with their rules. And that was different in every state. So we ended up with what I think was a really good solution to the problem at that time and something that we could get approved with each regulatory body.

Back to the product itself, myself and my two co-founders, Sean Sheehan and Casey Parzik, were cannabis consumers. And so when we created the machine, and it worked, we were trying to figure out what the product should be. We actually went to Canada and tried a bunch of the products in the market. Tried high dose, medium dose and low dose. And the high and medium dose, you know, 50 to 100 milligrams, where were, the experience is not good. It’s just far too strong, far too intense. We tried low dose, you know, 2.5 or 5 milligram drinks.

That’s when the light bulb went off, for all of us. Because it was a truly, you know, compelling alternative to beer or wine, for folks that had no tolerance for THC. It was a relaxing effect. It was very, you know, you had the option to stack up multiple beverages to get the effect you want, much like you do beer or wine. That’s when, you know, at least my passion shifted from the technology to the product itself.

And so we set out to create a low dose THC beverage. And, you know, for people that aren’t too familiar with dosages, as it turns out, 2.5 milligram dose is similar in intensity of effect as a light beer. It’s not going to have a really, really strong impact on you. You start to feel an effect in 15 to 20 minutes. It lasts for a couple hours, much like alcohol. But it, you know, it’s really compelling because it can be used in place of alcohol in the ways that, you know, consumers are familiar.

And then when it came to the brand, a lot of people asked why Wynk. And when we set out, you know, to do a low dose drink, it was this notion of, you know, seltzer with a wink of THC. Not a lot of THC, just a wink. And so that’s where the name came we put all that together and went to market. That our first production room was in Ohio. The marketplace was very different than it is today. In Ohio at that time, you could only sell through medical dispensaries. You had to have a medical card to purchase. And there were a very limited number of stores that we could sell in. But that’s where we started. That was April 2021. And we were off to the races. 

Paul Clarke

Fantastic. And so as you were exploring this, you focused in on the low dose in the spectrum, as you said. But what other kinds of characteristics did you see, did you find compelling for the beverages you wanted to put out there? 

Angus Rittenburg

The other thing that really excited me with THC beverages was this opportunity to create, you know, a product for the alcohol occasion with an undeniable effect. But for the first time, do it while delivering zero calories. So alcohol has had this sort of long challenge. You just, you can’t deliver alcohol without calories. They’re intrinsic to each other. THC, for the first time, gave us the ability to create, you know, a product for that occasion that had the effect that people were looking for with no calories. So from the start, Wynk’s always been focused on, know, providing really, really good tasting, zero calorie, zero sugar products that give you an enjoyable and very consistent And that was very, very intentional, creating a solution in a marketplace that it otherwise didn’t exist. 

Paul Clarke 

Right. And as you mentioned, you started off in Ohio. How many states are you available in now? And how does that work just legally and regulatory? How are you able to have this kind of network going on? 

Angus Rittenburg

We sell in about 20 states through retail today, largely licensed alcohol retailers, like bars, restaurants, liquor stores, convenience stores, grocery stores. We sell through beverage alcohol wholesalers. That can be wine, spirits, or beer distributors in each state. You know, we produce it and sell it in the same way that you would alcoholic RTDs. Then we do sell online direct to consumer. We ship to about 40 states. That’s of changing all the time as the rules develop. And the big unlock for us was in 2022.

Minnesota sort of codified their market and said that, you know, for products with THC derived from hemp, not marijuana, 10 milligrams and under, they can be sold outside of dispensaries. And that was a really profound, bold thing for them to do, but it created a very different marketplace. And the big difference was that you could ship across state lines and you could sell through alcohol wholesalers.

So now we have the ability to produce all of our products at our facility with THC derived from hemp, which- It’s the same molecule, you know. THC is a molecule, just like ethanol is a molecule. And you can get THC from different sources, just like you can get ethanol from different sources. So we were able to retain all the same characteristics of the beverage, it affected you the same and tasted the same. But it fell into a different rule set.

Once Minnesota, know, created this, this market within their state, a variety of other states have followed. Many many other states continue to refine their own regulations to allow something similar. Typically, we see, 5 milligram, 10 milligram caps in a state, and, you know, some sort of requirement that the product be sold through age-gated retail. And the most fitting, typically, is alcohol, because that’s where the consumers for these products largely are. 

Paul Clarke 

And you mentioned that your products and other beverages are increasingly entering the hospitality space through restaurants and bars. How does that work, and what’s the feedback been as you’ve been doing that? 

Angus Rittenburg

It’s really positive. You know, not all states allow on-premise sales, but, you know, Chicago has an example. About 40 percent of our sales are through bars and restaurants. You find it on the menu at the bar, much like you would any other lot of bars and restaurants are doing a good job of sort of carving out a section of the menu for THC beverages. But you order it just the same way as you would alcohol. But it’s giving you a way to consume socially with friends on weeknights without having to deal with the same hangover in the morning.

And so a lot of sort of younger consumers that are trying to drink less alcohol but still be social with their friends have this new sort of unlock in their own cities where they can go do it a lot more than they might otherwise because it just doesn’t have the day after effects of alcohol. 

Paul Clarke

Right. Right. And as you were mapping out your product, what you envisioned for it, you know, flavor-wise, dosage-wise, what did you see is your initial target market when you’re coming out and what has been your real market? Who is actually buying this now that you have some experience in the field?

Angus Rittenburg

One thing we noticed in the products that we tried in Canada was that a lot of the products were extremely flavorful and extremely sugary. A lot of that is to mask the flavors of cannabis, which can be very difficult. But there was an opportunity to create something really light and something that was sugar-free that still tasted good. So we spent a lot of time honing the formulations. And what we landed on was something very similar to LaCroix or Polar seltzers where they’re, know, lightly flavored. We were ultimately able to get a formulation that matched the intensity of flavor as a typical seltzer, but hid all of the of cannabis flavor profile. That was quite unique early on. And even today, others struggle to do the same without sugar or a lot of flavor. It is difficult to mask the cannabis taste.

Our initial consumer was younger. So, so we were looking for sort of the Gen Z demographic. And our initial goal was let’s get these non cannabis consumers that aren’t shopping at dispensaries into dispensaries and give them a product that is the right on ramp. It’s dosed low enough that nobody will have a bad experience. As it turns out, most uh, consumers in dispensaries are looking for 100 milligram plus products. It’s very, very expensive to do the marketing and education required to get an alcohol consumer to make another stop. So we, we had a really hard time in the first year and a half or two.

The consumers that we were able to market to that did make the extra stop and try it, love the product. And it definitely validated our initial premise. But the cost to get them to do so was far higher than we thought. Things have changed a lot since we switched into the alcohol channel, because now the product is where all these consumers already shop., a lot easier to get them to try.

And what we’re finding is there’s a whole demographic we didn’t necessarily focus on, which is our 50s, 60s, even 70s. A lot of people that have trouble sleeping or have pain, anxiety, their doctors are telling them to drink less alcohol. As it turns out, these products are a really good fit. And we have a huge base of extremely loyal customers that are in older demographic than we initially targeted. But it is a, you know, it’s a great solution for, many of these reasons that people have to drink less alcohol. Now we do see a difference between our demographic online and at retail.

The product’s about twice as expensive online. It’s just more, you know, it’s expensive to ship drinks to consumers. I think because of that huge increase in price, it shifts our demographic for online consumers a lot higher. They just have the accrued wealth to, know, spend more on a convenience. But at retail, at half the cost and a really similar price point to high noon or white claw, we’re seeing a much younger demographic. A lot of the on-premise sales are younger and really our target audience. audience. So we’re excited to to see that. 

Paul Clarke

Right, right. As the industry grows and more states begin settling their regulations for THC beverages, where do you envision this industry going? I mean, where would you like it to go and where do you think it might actually go? 

Angus Rittenburg

Yeah. I mean, where I’d like it to go is, is somewhere very similar to alcohol. You know, I always say if you can buy High Noon or White Claw, you should have the option to buy Wynk at the same place. I think that fits. A lot of the regulations that are being developed in states that I agree with are creating a beverage, you know, you can’t allow every THC product to be sold anywhere. But many of the states are creating beverage specific carve outs with a responsible dosage limit, 5 or 10 milligram, and allowing it to be sold in alcohol licensed retail. And what that does is it, one, limits scenarios where people have access to products that are going to give them a bad experience.

So when I see 50 or 100 milligram drinks in liquor stores, it scares me because likely a lot of these consumers are new, don’t know what these dosages mean and may have a bad experience. What we’re finding is that 10 milligram and under, regardless of your tolerance, you’re not going to have a horrible experience. And that’s important to make sure that consumers come back to that shelf. And then the alcohol license retail is really important.

Another huge fear of mine is getting this product in places where kids have access. Not a lot of kids are going into liquor stores without their parents. And if they do get in there, they certainly can’t get past the counter. All of the retailers and folks at the register are in the habit of checking IDs, which is important for these products.

Taxation is going to be really important. We’re seeing it in some markets. I think there should be a federal tax and there should be state level taxes that are comparable to alcohol. But again, selling through alcohol licensed distributors and retailers, those tax collection mechanisms are in place. And it’s easy to implement. I see that developing. I think that’s a good thing. That’s certainly the future that we want.

We’re not asking to be sold anywhere. We’re just being asked to sold where it’s responsible. I think that’s where things are largely headed. We’ve been advocating for that for quite a long time. We can make a lot more money selling 100 milligram drinks in liquor stores. But I don’t think it’s the right thing for the category. And so absent regulation, we’ve self-enforced this limit. And I think it’s the right thing to do protect consumers and show, know, regulators that brands are really trying to do the right thing and shape a responsible marketplace. 

Paul Clarke

And, you know, there’s massive growth and there’s a lot of money involved in this category, but it’s still a very, very young category in the grand scheme of things. When you look at it and when you look at the issues that you navigate, what kinds of challenges or obstacles or concerns do you still encounter on a daily basis as this industry starts to mature? 

Angus Rittenburg

Too numerous to count. I think the one that has always been present and I think will be for a long time is changing rules. And there’s a lot of rule changes that, you know, go into effect almost immediately. That can have, really, really difficult implications for our business. So as an example, you know, a new labeling requirement for a market where your package needs to look different or have new information, some of these rules go into effect within 30 days. So we have 30 days to change our supply chain, figure out what to do with all the inventory of the old labeling. And that’s constant.

And in a lot of cases, conflicting requirements between states. So one state requires you to have something on the can. Maybe it’s a logo of a cannabis plant. Another market doesn’t allow you to have a logo of a cannabis plant. And so now you have a whole branch of new SKUs despite the underlying product being the same. Those types of issues are ever present and very challenging for any of the brands to regulate. The other big one that, that, you know, I’m a huge proponent of sensible regulation. The reason is in a lot of markets that don’t have rules yet, but it’s not illegal to sell these products.

There’s very irresponsible products in marketplace, like 1000 milligram Skittles, branded like Skittles, uh, sold outside of age-gated retail. Those create really, really negative press on this category. And we agree those products should not exist. And they certainly shouldn’t be sold in some of the places that they are. But it casts a shade over everything everybody’s doing.

What the regulations that are going into effect do, like Minnesota, for example, is actually sort of funnel the marketplace into one where the experience of the consumers is good. So we’re hungry for regulation, trying to limit these bad things that everybody hears about, but create a pathway for, good, responsible products. And it was interesting. In Texas, there was a bill to ban hemp-derived THC in the marketplace. And what the governor said was he vetoed the bill because he said, “If we just do an outright ban we’re not going to have any source of funding to enforce. And therefore the good actors are going to leave to do the right thing and the bad actors are going to proliferate.”

What he instead proposed was create a pathway for the good actors. He considered beverages, THC beverages below a certain gap to be a good actor, tax it, and we have a revenue stream to fund enforcement against things we really don’t want. I think that’s what the U.S. needs to do to really knock out the bad things that everybody’s scared of, but allow the products that are providing a good solution for a lot of consumers. 

Paul Clarke

Right. We’re heading toward the exit now. Is there anything that we haven’t covered that you’d like to make sure that we touch upon? 

Angus Rittenburg

Yeah, a lot of consumers still don’t really understand what these products are or why they make the worth trying. I will say as a non-cannabis consumer prior to starting this business, it truly is a compelling alternative to alcohol. It doesn’t mean that you need to stop drinking alcohol altogether. I still drink alcohol and I really enjoy it. But there’s a lot of occasions that this fits into and it reduces my alcohol consumption. And this finally having a product that you can consume for the alcohol occasion without calories and without a hangover is really a profound thing in the U.S. It’s, it’s one of the biggest changes to the adult beverage industry since Prohibition. And many consumers, you know, I do a lot of sampling events with, with our team.

Many consumers come up and they’re terrified. Like I don’t do THC. I had a bad gummy experience or whatever. And with a little bit of encouragement, we can get them to try the two and a half milligram drink. And I think people are often surprised how subtle it is, how controllable it is, how quick the onset is, much like alcohol, and how it doesn’t linger like the bad gummy experience they had. So I’d encourage anybody to try the drinks, start with a very low, low dose and see how it affects you. But it’s not, you know, it doesn’t fit the of legacy cannabis mold. It’s not hippies and garages. A lot of our consumers are working professionals, executives of companies that they’re a very legitimate product. And, know, very, very legitimate categories growing here in the U.S. 

Paul Clarke

Angus, thanks so much for taking the time to be on the podcast and to be interviewed for the magazine. It’s been a pleasure. 

Angus Rittenburg

Thanks for having me. 

[music]

Paul Clarke

You can find out more about Wynk at drinkwynk.com. That’s drink, W-Y-N-K, dot com. You can find the link in this episode’s notes. 

And that’s it for this episode. Subscribe to Radio Imbibe on your favorite podcast app to keep up with all our future episodes. We’ve got plenty of recipes and articles for you online at our website, imbibemagazine.com. Keep up with us day to day on Instagram, Pinterest, Threads, and Facebook. And if you’re not already a subscriber to the print and or digital issues of Imbibe, then here’s your opportunity to change that. Just follow the link in this episode’s notes and we’ll be happy to help you out. I’m Paul Clarke. This is Radio Imbibe. Catch you next time.