Japanese seltzer brand -196 launches in US
Suntory Global Spirits-owned ready-to-drink (RTD) brand -196 is rolling out its range across the US, including a new strawberry variant.
Vodka seltzer brand -196 (pronounced ‘minus one-nine-six’) is hitting stores across the US, introducing a new strawberry flavour to its pre-existing range of lemon, grapefruit, and peach.
To make its vodka seltzer, -196 uses a proprietary freeze crush infusion process, a technique rooted in Japanese craftsmanship that flash-freezes the whole fruit in liquid nitrogen at exactly -196°C, crushes it and then infuses it into premium vodka.
Carol Robert, managing director of US RTD at Suntory Global Spirits, described as “not a typical canned vodka seltzer”.
She continued: “It’s a celebration of Japanese ingenuity, and a tribute to what’s possible when innovation and intention meet.
“With our national launch and the addition of Strawberry, we’re audaciously charting new territory within the RTD category in the US and redefining what real fruit-forward refreshments should taste like.”
The RTD brand is available in a single-flavour four-pack for US$11 and an eight-can variety pack for US$20. The seltzer is canned at 5.5% ABV.
In 2023, -196 was the fifth largest-selling spirits brand in the world, moving 27.8 million cases, an increase of 2.1% from the previous year. Among RTD brands globally, it was second only to hard seltzer White Claw.
In August 2024, the House of Suntory said that it was looking to boost its white spirits division globally and that includes -196, which had recently entered markets such as the UK and Australia.
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