Lion to bring 'healthy alcohol' to Australia

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Lion has snared the Australian rights to the hugely successful White Claw brand, which pioneered the hard seltzer segment in the US and built it into a $2.5 billion category based on perceptions it is a "healthy alcohol" with lower calories and lower sugar.

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The alcoholic seltzer brand White Claw has been at the forefront of a new $2.5 billion segment in the United States. 

Lion, which makes XXXX Gold, Tooheys and West End beer, has struck a deal with Mark Anthony Brands International, the maker of White Claw Hard Seltzer.

It will be the exclusive importer, marketer and distributor of the brand in Australia and hopes to emulate its huge success in the US, where it was first launched in 2016.

Lion Australia managing director James Brindley said the brand would be sold in Australia from October, in readiness for the summer. It will sit alongside Lion's own hard seltzer brand Quincy, which it started up late last year.

Mark Anthony Brands International is the No. 1 player in the hard seltzer category in the US with a market share of almost 60 per cent.

White Claw has been at the forefront of the US alcoholic seltzer segment after the brand was created by Anthony von Mandl, now a billionaire, who made huge inroads with the new breed of alcoholic drinks with lower alcohol, lower carbohydrates and with less sweetness.

White Claw's core range in the US had an alcohol content of 5 per cent. The Australian version will have an alcohol content of 4.5 per cent.

Davin Nugent, chief executive of Mark Anthony Brands International, said Lion had a good track record of building up international brands in its home market. The first three derivations would be White Claw Mango, White Claw Natural Lime, and White Claw Ruby Grapefruit. More would be added to the portfolio.

White Claw was the global leader in a relatively new alcohol category, Mr Brindley said, adding: "The popularity of White Claw cannot be disputed".

He said it would tap into the growing interest in health and wellbeing by consumers in Australia. "We believe the seltzer category represents a significant growth opportunity for Lion over the coming years,'' he said.

Mark Anthony Brands International has used social media extensively to build up the White Claw brand.

A parody of White Claw drinkers has attracted millions of viewers on YouTube and led to the widespread sharing of a meme "Ain't no laws when you're drinking Claws".

Mr von Mandl's company was also behind the hugely successful brand Mike's Hard Lemonade from the late 1990s, which also had major success in Canada and the US.