White Claw beverages on display during the 2022 Bar & Restaurant Expo and World Tea Conference + Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center on March 22, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
David Becker | Getty Images
White Claw is moving into spirits amid an industry-wide shift away from hard seltzers.
The spiked seltzer brand announced Tuesday a new line of regular and flavored White Claw Premium Vodka. The bottles are available in select markets across North America and come in an unflavored option, as well pineapple, mango and black cherry.
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The spirts range from 30% to 40% alcohol by volume.
“We spent almost a decade researching and developing a new way to show drinkers what complexity looks, tastes, and feels like within the minimalist experience of vodka,” said Anthony von Mandl, founder and chief executive of the Mark Anthony Group, which owns the White Claw brand, in a press release.
The company says it’s invented a new way to filter vodka to achieve a “minimal yet complex combination of aromas and sensations.” It’s dubbed the process “Triple Wave Filtered” because it’s first distilled with charred coconut shells instead of activated carbon and then filtered three times with what the brand says is a “total pressure equivalent to the power of three 30-foot waves.”
White Claw Spirits
Source: White Claw Spirits
“We created one of the most complex production processes of any vodka in the world to produce a vodka unlike any other,” Mandl said.
White Claw has dominated the hard seltzer market for years, bringing the category into the mainstream as more consumers sought low-calorie alcoholic drinks. However, hard seltzer’s rise may have hit a ceiling as consumers increasingly turn to canned cocktails, which became popular during the pandemic for their convenience and variety.
A recent study by IWSR Drinks Market Analysis found that sales volumes of spirit-based, ready-to-drink cocktails will overtake hard seltzers by 2025. Cocktail products are forecasted to command 26% of the total category by that time, compared with hard seltzer’s 20%.
As part of its expansion into vodka, White Claw also announced the debut of White Claw Vodka Sodas, ready-to-drink cocktails which come in peach, wild cherry, pineapple and watermelon flavors. The new 100-calorie canned cocktails are made with the same White Claw vodka that’s sold in bottles.
“We believe the vodka category is ready for its White Claw moment,” Mandl said.
