MadTree and High Bank Team Up for a Fall Sway Cocktail
Cincinnati and Columbus are meeting in a can this fall. MadTree Brewing and High Bank Distillery have teamed up on Sway Apple Pomegranate, a limited-edition vodka cocktail that brings together two Ohio beverage businesses.
For me, the interesting part goes beyond adding another flavor to a cooler. This is a chance to look at how a brewery and a distillery can work together on a product that gives customers a different way to connect with both businesses.
What is Sway Apple Pomegranate?
The collaboration combines High Bank Vodka with apple and pomegranate flavors in a lightly carbonated cocktail. The companies describe the drink as having crisp apple, bright pomegranate, and a clean finish. Those are their descriptions of the product, rather than tasting notes from a Rod J BeerVentures review.
The release says the High Bank Vodka used in the collaboration is distilled with organic wheat and Ohio apples. That gives the Ohio partnership an ingredient connection as well as a Cincinnati-to-Columbus connection.
There is a useful distinction here for anyone browsing the beer aisle or following MadTree primarily for its brewing: this is a vodka cocktail. It is not an apple beer or a cider. Knowing the category helps set the right expectations before you decide whether it belongs in your next purchase.
Here are the product details provided in the announcement:
- 4.5% alcohol by volume
- 12-ounce cans sold in four-packs
- 90 calories
- 0 grams of added sugar
- 1 gram of carbohydrates
- Gluten-free, according to the release
The added-sugar wording is worth preserving. “No added sugar” does not make the same statement as “no total sugar.” When sharing product information, I want the details to stay tied to what the company actually announced.
A collaboration with a clear connection
MadTree brings its Sway cocktail brand to the partnership, while High Bank brings its vodka. That gives each company a recognizable role in the finished product, which is one reason this collaboration caught my attention.
My view is that a partnership becomes easier to understand when customers can see what each participant contributes. In this case, you do not have to work very hard to explain the combination: an Ohio cocktail brand and an Ohio distillery are creating a seasonal drink together.
It also offers an opportunity for discovery. Someone familiar with MadTree could become curious about High Bank, while a High Bank customer could get introduced to Sway. That is a potential benefit of the collaboration, not a claim that either company has already gained new customers from it.
For those of us who enjoy following local producers, collaborations can provide another reason to pay attention to a familiar name. The questions then become practical: does the drink deliver an experience people enjoy, can they find it, and will they want it again?
The community piece of the partnership
In the release, MadTree CEO Rhiannon Hoeweler connects the collaboration to the companies’ shared commitments to giving back. She says both businesses give 1% of sales to local nonprofits and describes the partnership as an opportunity to expand support for trees, waterways, and the neighborhoods around them.
MadTree’s accompanying company information identifies it as B Corp-certified and a member of 1% for the Planet. Those details help explain why community and environmental work are central to the way MadTree is presenting this release.
I like having a concrete business commitment to consider alongside the product story. At the same time, the announcement does not provide a separate donation total or a measured environmental result for this particular collaboration. We can report the commitments without turning them into outcomes that have not been documented.
That is a useful standard for any beverage collaboration with a charitable or environmental message. Explain what the partners say they support, make the connection understandable, and leave room for follow-up on what the project accomplishes.
Where to find it this fall
The September 17 announcement lists Sway Apple Pomegranate at all MadTree and High Bank locations, along with select retailers in Ohio and Kentucky. It describes the cocktail as a limited-edition offering available only through the fall season.
The release does not give an exact final sales date or a suggested retail price. Because the offering is limited, checking a location’s current selection is a useful step before making a special trip. The MadTree product finder provides a starting point for finding the brand nearby.
Packaging is also part of the practical appeal here: the announcement specifies four-packs of 12-ounce cans, so shoppers know which format to look for. Availability across two states still does not mean every retailer in those states will carry the collaboration.
My take for the beer community
Even when a release falls outside beer, it can tell us something worth discussing about the businesses behind our favorite breweries. Here, MadTree is using its existing cocktail brand to work with another Ohio producer on a seasonal offering.
The collaboration gives us several specific things to consider: a regional partnership, clearly defined contributions from both companies, a fall flavor combination, and community commitments that help explain why the partners chose to work together. The next question is how drinkers respond.
Would a brewery-and-distillery collaboration like this get your attention? And when you try a seasonal canned cocktail, are you drawn more by the flavor combination or by the producers behind it?
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