Magners merges cider and Irish whiskey

The hybrid drinks category has expanded as Irish cider brand Magners launches what it claims is a “spirit cider”, containing Irish whiskey.

Magners has launched a cider and Irish whiskey hybrid as part of the niche “spider” category

Magners with Irish Whiskey contains 25ml of Irish whiskey in a 500ml bottle of traditional Magners apple cider. The whiskey was created by West Cork Distillers.

The cider brand claims that spirit cider hybrids, dubbed “spiders”, have been a feature in the UK on-trade for a number of years.

“Magners has been at the forefront of cider innovations since it revolutionised the cider category in the nineties with its over-ice serve, and today we are introducing another game changer, Magners with Irish Whiskey,” said Ed Shoebridge, head of customer marketing at C&C Group, producer of Magners.

“Consumers’ appetite for new flavours in cider keeps growing and we believe our new Magners with Irish Whiskey will offer a unique flavour both for whiskey lovers and cider lovers looking for something new.”

Bottled at 5.5% abv, the variant will be available in Asda stores across the UK from 5 February.

In October 2013, Tennessee whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s launched Winter Jack – a blend of whiskey, winter spices and apple cider liqueur.