November sees the release of Australia’s first alcoholic seltzer, Quincy, from Lion. The Australian-made, gluten-free drink is pitched as a refreshing summer option from Lion, having less sugar and carbs than the average vodka RTD.
Lion’s Innovation Director Jo Simpson said Quincy has been developed to cater to a growing demand for unique beverages that can fit into their modern lifestyles and diet choices.
“With the worldwide trend towards moderation – in addition to mindfulness around ingredients such as sugar and carbohydrates – we have created a beverage choice that ticks all the right boxes,” Simpson said.
“When you enter a bottle shop looking for an afternoon delight and you don’t necessarily feel like a wine, an RTD or a traditional beer, Quincy has the right characteristics that will appeal to drinkers from all these categories. It just provides something a little bit different.”
Although this is the first Australian instance of ‘spiked’ or ‘hard’ seltzer (as alcoholic seltzer is sometimes known), the category has taken off in the United States. Lion referred to data from Nielsen that shows US sales of alcoholic seltzers have skyrocketed by 210 per cent since 2018.
James Brindley, Managing Director at Lion, said this overseas popularity also inspired them to get ahead of the pack with Quincy.
“Though known for our leading beer portfolio at Lion, Quincy is an innovative response to the growing demand for a lighter drink that tastes great too,” Brindley said. “At Lion we look forward to continuing to grow our business beyond the core and producing new beverages to suit the changing demands of our drinkers.”
Quincy is available in natural lime or passionfruit flavour in 300ml bottles. They retail for $19.99 RRP for a four pack.