Smirnoff launches line of spiked seltzers with fewer calories

Smirnoff has launched a spiked sparkling seltzer that is low on guilt, with fewer than 100kcal and zero sugar in every can.

And, as well as having just 90kcal per 12oz serving, Smirnoff’s new premium malt beverage has only 1g of carbohydrates and is free from any artificial sweeteners. It is ideal, the company claimed, for Americans looking to cut back on their calorie intake for the new year.

The latest addition is available in three sparkling flavours: orange-mango, cranberry-lime and watermelon. Packed in slimline cans with an ABV of 4.5%, and fermented from grains containing gluten before the gluten is then removed, the new line will retail across the US with a recommended price of $8.99 for a six-pack.

Krista Kiisk, brand director of flavoured malt beverages for Smirnoff owner Diageo USA, said: “The Smirnoff brand is bringing something new to the emerging spiked seltzer category by now offering its lowest calorie option in its flavoured malt beverage portfolio.

“We know people are looking for different options when it comes to their alcohol, and Smirnoff spiked sparkling seltzer delivers variety without sacrificing taste.”

The drink contains fewer calories than the leading hard seltzer brands on the market, Smirnoff claimed.

It falls in line with an expected boom in seltzers, as J. Walter Thompson’s Lucie Greene told FoodBev earlier this month.

The alcohol sector is playing off the meteoric rise in demand in flavoured sparkling waters, as well as increased interest in health and wellbeing that has seen it become ‘a new premium’. Flavoured sparkling water brand LaCroix has become an unlikely cult hit, with sales exploding from $65 million in 2010 to $226 million in 2015.

Although arguably the least likely to be thought of as a ‘healthy’ sector, alcohol’s foray into health-conscious branding shows just how thoroughly consumers have adopted the wellness lifestyle – and highlights the importance for brands to adapt to the change in consumer behaviour.