Lifted Made's Highlandia brand claimed Best in Show at the 2026 Summer PR%F Awards — a buyer-judged, blind-taste competition that evaluates spirits, wine, and beverages on a 100-point scale — while simultaneously announcing two new elixir SKUs and confirming retail and distribution presence in 11 states. The four-medal sweep, anchored by a 98-point Double Gold score for its Rocket Peak flavor, positions Highlandia as a credible shelf contender in the fast-emerging hemp-derived THC beverage set.
The Medal Count
The PR%F Awards runs parallel Tasting and Design competitions, and Highlandia placed across both tracks. Rocket Peak took Double Gold (98 points) in tasting and earned Best in Show — the top honor across all entered products — plus a Century medal and Best Infused Can Design recognition on the packaging side. Cottondew Clouds earned Double Gold (97 points) in tasting and Gold in design. Free Spirit Bottle scored Gold (91 points) in tasting and Double Gold in design. Tangilime Grove rounded out the haul with Silver medals (87 points) in both categories. That Rocket Peak's score placed it at the top of a field judged alongside traditional spirits and wine signals the growing competitive maturity of compliant hemp-derived beverages as a retail beverage category.
"Buyers rated Rocket Peak a 98 and named it Best in Show. That's the kind of score that gets a beverage taken seriously — hemp-derived or not," said Nick Warrender, CEO of Lifted Made, a subsidiary of LFTD Partners Inc. (OTCQB: LIFD).
Distribution Footprint and New SKUs
Highlandia reached retail shelves in Wisconsin — its home market — and expanded to 11 states (FL, GA, IL, IN, NC, NE, NY, PA, SC, TN, and TX) in under six months, a distribution velocity that reflects both distributor uptake and the broader consumer appetite for alcohol-alternatives in the better-for-you beverage aisle. The brand is now extending its Free Spirit Elixir line — the original Free Spirit flavor sold out of its initial production run shortly after launch — with two new 750mL bottles priced at $28.95 each: Goldentea Trails, an iced-tea-inspired pour, and Limoncello Coast, built around a bright lemon profile. Each delivers 10mg THC and 2mg CBD per 1.5oz serving (170mg THC / 34mg CBD per bottle), and is formulated to drink straight, over ice, or as a cocktail or mocktail mixer.
"Goldentea Trails and Limoncello Coast are our answer to that demand — two distinct, sessionable flavors that give people more ways to bring Highlandia into their everyday moments," said Adam Borson, Director of Marketing at Lifted Made.
All Highlandia products are made with hemp-derived cannabinoids, third-party lab tested to confirm less than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight, and positioned for adults 21 and older — compliance posture that matters increasingly as retailers navigating the hemp-THC beverage category develop age-gating and planogram policies. Certificates of Analysis are publicly available for every SKU, a transparency credential that resonates with both chain buyers and independent retailers evaluating the segment.
The hemp-derived THC beverage category has drawn intensifying buyer and distributor attention as a functional alternative to alcohol, particularly among consumers seeking low-ABV or no-ABV options with a mood-modifying benefit. For category managers merchandising the functional beverage or better-for-you alcohol-alternative set, Highlandia's dual-competition performance provides the kind of third-party validation that supports shelf placement and planogram justification alongside more established non-alc brands. The brand's 11-state footprint — achieved without a major national DSD network — suggests meaningful early pull-through at retail and distributor interest in scaling velocity.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
