'Annual 50% Rapid Growth' RTD Alcohol Market... Shinsegae Launches Highball with ABC

Shinsegae L&B × Amazing Brewing Company
Collaboration RTD Highball Launch
United by the Potential for Continuous Growth in the Domestic RTD Alcohol Market
Actively Considering Future Expansion into Overseas Markets Including Japan

A highball product in the form of an RTD (Ready to Drink) beverage using 'Evan Williams,' Shinsegae L&B's top-selling brand, is set to be launched. Through this product, a collaboration between Shinsegae L&B and Amazing Brewing Company, the two companies plan to target the domestic RTD alcoholic beverage market and actively consider expanding overseas, including to Japan, a stronghold of highball culture.

RTD Highball with Real Whiskey 'Evan Bourbon Highball'

On the morning of the 11th, Amazing Brewing Company, a domestic craft beer company, held a press conference in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, announcing the launch of 'Evan Bourbon Highball,' a collaboration with Shinsegae L&B, scheduled for the 17th. Evan Bourbon Highball is the world's first RTD highball product using the bourbon whiskey 'Evan Williams' as the base spirit. A mixologist from Shinsegae, an expert in cocktail mixing, participated in the blending process to achieve a proper balance of fruity aroma and whiskey flavor.

Amazing Brewing Company will handle production and sales, while Shinsegae L&B will be responsible for overall brand marketing and trademark partnerships. Evan Bourbon Highball will be produced in two flavors, apple and lemon, at Amazing Brewing Company's brewery in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, with an alcohol content of 5%. It will be sold mainly through home channels such as convenience stores and large supermarkets, with the 355ml can expected to retail at around 4,000 KRW in convenience stores.

Evan Williams, exclusively imported and sold domestically by Shinsegae L&B since November 2021, is the second best-selling bourbon whiskey in the United States and worldwide. It was named after Evan Williams, who established a commercial distillery in Kentucky, the birthplace of bourbon whiskey, in 1783. Among the variants, 'Evan Williams Black,' used in this highball, is aged for 4 to 5 years?longer than the legal aging period of 2 years required to be recognized as straight bourbon?resulting in a smooth and rich aroma despite its high alcohol content of 43%.

"Domestic RTD Market Holds Long-Term Growth Potential"

The Evan Bourbon Highball has attracted significant industry attention as a result of collaboration between Amazing Brewing Company, a leading domestic craft beer company, and Shinsegae L&B, a liquor importer. The rapid growth of the domestic RTD market was a key factor enabling the partnership. Both parties agree that the recent expansion of the domestic RTD market is not a temporary phenomenon but reflects long-term growth potential.

Kim Taekyung, CEO of Amazing Brewing Company, predicted continuous growth in the domestic RTD market by citing examples from the Japanese and American liquor markets. According to market research firm Statista, the RTD alcoholic beverage market size in home channels is approximately $5.2 billion (about 7.2 trillion KRW) in Japan and $4.8 billion (about 6.6 trillion KRW) in the United States, more than 20 times larger than the domestic market, which is around $230 million (about 320 billion KRW).

In particular, the Japanese RTD alcoholic beverage market has shown steady growth over recent years. According to the Suntory RTD report, the market size of Japanese RTD alcoholic beverages, which was about 119.4 million cases in 2011, has more than doubled over ten years to 287.07 million cases in 2021, diversifying into categories such as chuhai (soju highball) and sours in addition to highballs. Amid continuous growth, RTD alcoholic beverages now account for about 13% of the total liquor market in Japan, becoming the second-largest category after beer (46%).

Kim Taekyung, CEO of Amazing Brewing Company, is making a presentation at the press conference commemorating the launch of 'Evan Bourbon Highball' on the 11th.

CEO Kim evaluated that, considering the growth trends in advanced markets like Japan and the United States, the domestic RTD market has recently entered the early stage of a long-term growth trajectory. He said, "As society advances, interest in health increases, and the drinking culture is shifting from excessive group drinking to consuming small amounts of alcohol at home. Considering the rise of single-person households and the spread of home-tending culture, the RTD market still holds high growth potential."

Kim pointed out that the biggest competitive advantage of Evan Bourbon Highball is that it is made with real bourbon whiskey. He explained, "Whether a whiskey highball is genuine can be easily verified through the raw material and content labeling on the back label. Most highballs sold on the market use alcohol or oak chips to mimic the nuances of whiskey rather than using actual whiskey. Our new product contains 3.3% whiskey, which will allow it to stand out in the market."

He also noted that the domestic RTD alcoholic beverage market is gradually reorganizing from early-stage collaborations and one-off products to focusing on large brand products, which was a reason for launching Evan Bourbon Highball. Kim emphasized, "Following the principle that good base spirits make good highballs, Amazing Brewing Company has selected base spirits under strict standards, such as Andong Soju and Tokki Soju, and released only highballs that achieve optimal balance based on those bases."

The sales target for this year is 3 million cans. Evan Bourbon Highball plans to distribute keg products to entertainment channels after starting with domestic home channels. Kim expressed his ambition, saying, "We will enter the battleground and fight. Since we are also interested in overseas expansion, our long-term vision is to enter the Japanese market and compete on par with local highballs."