White Claw has made great inroads into the beer market and is now coming for the liquor world by launching its own vodka.
Key Details
- White Claw launched in 2016 and became extremely popular—with sales quadrupling from $154.8 million in 2018 to $627.2 million in 2019, according to Bloomberg.
- The seltzer craze has cut into the beer market, with nearly every household name launching its own version, including Corona Hard Seltzer, Bud Light Seltzer, and Coors Light Seltzer.
- White Claw sales remain up by 4.4%, but hard seltzer sales overall have begun to decline, with sales dropping 10% in January.
- More people are switching to vodka-based drinks leading White Claw to launch its own vodka drinks to stay on top of the current trends.
Why it’s news
Over the last few years, hard seltzers have become ubiquitous at social events, as the low-calorie, flavored drink has grown in popularity among younger health-conscious people. The popularity of White Claw, the leader in this sector, has come at the expense of the beer market.
White Claw is the industry disrupter that upended the beer world by launching flavorful, 100-calorie, alcoholic seltzer drinks.
Now that the brand has made strong inroads into the beer world, it is looking to take over the spirit world by launching its own vodka and vodka sodas.
The Mark Anthony Group, the brand behind White Claw, is launching a vodka under the White Claw brand. The vodkas will be the typical White Claw flavors such as lime, black cherry, and mango. The brand is also launching vodka soda cocktails available in 12-ounce cans.
Over the last year, hard seltzer sales have been slightly declining as a rise in vodka-based drinks have taken off. The brand’s owner, Anthony von Mandl, says he doesn’t want it to stop at seltzers and is excited to branch out into spirits and sodas.
“I’ve always found when I sat down and ordered a vodka soda, I had to order some cranberry juice to go with it because I found the vodka, frankly, was just a bit rough,” he says. “And something happened that allowed us to disrupt this major spirits category.”
White Claws are an affordable alcoholic beverage option, and the company plans to continue that with a 750 ml bottle of the vodka priced at $20, and a four-pack of White Claw’s canned vodka and soda will be sold for around $11.