(NEXSTAR) – Travis Scott’s hard seltzer has reportedly been discontinued just over a month after a crowd surge killed 10 people and injured many others at his performance during the Astroworld Festival in Houston.
Scott announced his hard seltzer line, CACTI, in December, 2020, according to Forbes. The agave spiked seltzers were created in partnership with Anheuser-Busch and began hitting the shelves in early 2021.
Anheuser-Busch announced Friday that production and brand development of the CACTI seltzer will be stopped following “careful evaluation,” TMZ reports. “We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision,” a statement from the beverage company reads. A source tells TMZ the decision to discontinue CACTI was mutual.
Anheuser-Busch did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment.
While the website for CACTI remains online as of Friday evening, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter accounts for the spiked seltzer no longer exist.
When CACTI launched in March 2021, Anheuser-Busch’s InBev says the brand broke records, selling out in thousands of locations across the U.S. in just 24 hours. Online inventory sold out in half that amount of time. Scott’s line holds the highest rate of sales in its first week for any variety pack in Anheuser-Busch seltzer history. InBev reports Scott, as founder and creator of the CACTI seltzer, worked with Anheuser-Busch’s innovation team to build the brand.
In September, the Houston Chronicle reported CACTI had been accused of misleading consumers in a class-action complaint filed against Anheuser-Busch. The woman filing the complaint alleged CACTI had been advertised as being made with 100% blue agave, but instead contained agave sweetener.
Anheuser-Busch isn’t the first brand to back away from a Scott line. In mid-November, Nike postponed the release of Scott’s Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack sneakers “out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival.”
During a recent interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God, Scott said he didn’t know fans were being injured while he was on stage at the Astroworld festival. More than 300 lawsuits have been filed so far in response to the incident. Those who have been sued include Scott, concert promoter Live Nation, and other companies connected to the event.
