Tags
What is the fastest growing category in wines and spirits – Rosé, box wine, craft beer or hard seltzer?
Hint: The category has increased by triple digit percentages in each of last two years and 2020 is expected to be even better.
Hint: The category is not new. In 1993 Coors introduced Zima in response to popular wine coolers (remember those fruity multi-colored six packs).
Answer: The category is HARD SELTZER, a flavored malt beverage that is a combination of seltzer water, alcohol (4-6% ALC) and a hint of fruit flavor. The leading brands are White Claw with over 300% increase and Truly with nearly 200% increase in past year. The category now includes heavyweights like Corona, Budweiser and Smirnoff, and Whole Foods merchandiser says White Claw is their “top SKU”.
But the latest rage is High Noon hyped as “made with real vodka, real juice and sparkling water”. On a recent summer week, the store received their weekly delivery and 30 High Noon cases were sold in 2 hours. Not a day goes by without someone asking if the store carries High Noon – happy hunting…
Cheers, Bob the WineGuy
Bob the WineGuy on FaceBook and Instagram.
If you wish to receive posts by email, click this link
Bob the WineGuy 
Hey Bob,
This is interesting. Were just discussing this on the beach last week. I’m confused about the malt beverage term though. I thought malt beverages like zima and Champale, and Colt 45 were “made” as a beverage, but that hard seltzers were not a malted beverage because they’re just made from ingredients mixed together. Thoughts?
LikeLike
Jim, the short answer is that FMB is the industry category for tracking hard seltzer sales.
The following excerpt is from an industry publication…”Hard seltzer is one juxtaposition after another—and that’s what’s driving its overall success. For starters, while hard seltzer is generally categorized within the flavored malt beverage (FMB) category and the broader beer category, a majority of U.S. hard seltzer buyers (60%) and 70% of legal age Millennial drinkers—a core demographic for hard seltzer—consider hard seltzer as its own category. Fewer than 10% think of it as a ‘type’ of beer. By successfully carving out its own identity, hard seltzer poses a threat to traditional FMB and core beer options, and even the broader alcohol category.”
LikeLike
How do you spell YUCK?
LikeLike