Over the last couple years, the world of hard seltzer was exploding with new additions. It seemed like every time you turned around, another brand had launched their own version, including several celebrity-backed options. One of which was Travis Scott’s Cacti hard seltzer, which he announced last winter and we gave a full review of this summer. Up until the last few months, it seemed like the seltzer was just another extension of Travis’ many brand collabs, like his McDonalds deal or the merch that went along with it.
But today, in a statement reported by AdAge, the seltzer’s backer Anheuser-Busch has announced the drink will be no more. It’s likely that the move is due to the continuing fallout from Scott’s Astroworld festival, which tragically left nine concertgoers dead due to trampling and crowd control issues.
“After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of Cacti Agave Spiked Seltzer,” Anheuser-Busch said in a statement. “We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision.” Though asked directly if the decision was due to the events at Astroworld, the brewer declined to comment further, but a spokesperson for Travis Scott clarified that the pause was mutually decided upon by both parties as the deal expired on Nov. 30. “Travis was clear in his interview that he is not focused on business right now and his priority is helping his community and fans heal,” the spokesperson said. “Cacti asked AB Inbev to inform their wholesalers there will not be product at this time.” According to Scott’s spokepers “this is not a cancelation or ceasing of an ongoing agreement,” so maybe in the future Cacti will return.
