Another leading sparkling water brand is making the leap into hard seltzer: Sparkling Ice is set to launch a new alcoholic line called Spiked (4% ABV) this month.
The line will be available in four flavors — Cherry Lime Cooler, Lemonade Refresher, Ruby Fizz, and Strawberry Citrus Smash — in variety 12-packs of 12 oz. slim cans. Each variety contains zero sugar, one gram of carbs and 80 calories, and is also gluten free.
Spiked will be sold at retailers in select markets, including Tampa, Florida; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Buffalo, New York; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Southern California.
“We are thrilled to introduce a new alternative to the adult beverage world that delivers the taste our consumers are looking for while shattering the expectations of what everyone has come to expect from hard seltzer,” said Talking Rain CEO Chris Hall in a press release. “With full flavor and zero sugar, we’re confident that the new Sparkling Ice Spiked will satisfy your hard seltzer cravings and quickly become your go-to beverage for everyday entertaining, outdoor grilling, and weekend escapes.”
Seattle-based Talking Rain is the best-selling sparkling flavored water brand over the past 52 weeks through July 25, according to sales data from Nielsen, with $626.8 million in dollar sales. The brand has grown sales 21.5% over that period, outpacing category growth of 17.3%.
With Spiked, Sparkling Ice will seek to leverage its brand equity in sparkling water to expand into one of the hottest segments in beverage alcohol; according to investment bank Jefferies, sales of hard seltzer are expected to double to $3.5 billion in 2020. They aren’t the only ones looking for a piece to the action: Last month, Coca-Cola-owned Topo Chico announced a new single-SKU line called Hard Seltzer that will debut in the U.S. in 2021. In 2019, Massachusetts-based Polar released Arctic Summer in collaboration with Harpoon Brewery.
This story first appeared on Brewbound’s sister site, BevNet.