Source: Australian Seltzer Brand Quincy. Image from BrewNews
Had you heard about Seltzer in Australia before Dan Murphy’s started serving you Facebook ads everyday?
I hadn’t, but the demand and interest in this sparkling, flavoured alcoholic water have gone gangbusters in Australia, after becoming a huge drink of choice amongst millennials in the US.
In 2019, US Seltzer sales increased by 226%. Driven by millennials who view the beverage as a ‘healthier alternative’ to alcopops and other alcoholic beverages, with less sugar and alcoholic content, many Australian breweries are now jumping on board. One Australian brand Fellr has created an 83 calorie drink with less than one gram of sugar that is also gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly – so drinkable by anyone!
As many hard seltzers are brew-based, like beers, they attract around 40 per cent less tax than our old friend the Vodka Cruiser. This makes the beverage more enticing to produce than beers (which is already a saturated market in Australia) and other heavily taxed beverages in Australia.
Australian businesses who are now working in this space will need to get their boots on though, as US cult brand White Claw is set to launch in Australia with Dan Murphy’s, this week. Dan Murphy’s has seen a 798% increase in searched for White Claw over its site in the last two weeks, already earning a cult following in Australia. This early popularity is surely linked to our globalised social media feed where White Claw memes have boomed
“Since we increased our range in September, we’ve seen more Australians getting curious about seltzers. In the last three weeks, we’ve seen seltzer sales grow with almost 100 per cent,” said Andrew McCrae, category manager for Dan Murphy’s.
So move over G&T’s and Vodka Cruisers because it looks like there’s a new, guilt-free drink for summer. I’m keen to give it a try!
Zoe Jarousek
