White Claw takes on Big Vodka

With everyone from Mountain Dew to Sunny D slinging hard seltzers these days, the leader of this overcrowded category is looking to diversify and capitalize on new trends. 

What happened: White Claw has entered the world of hard liquor, launching a line of vodkas (with straight and flavoured options) that will surely be a hit with your bro-iest buds. The company has its work cut out. It’s going up against a liquor store aisle filled with big names, like Absolut, Grey Goose, and Titos, and Eastern European faves, like Żubrówka. 

  • Owner and Vancouver native Anthony von Mandl told The WSJ he was on a quest to find a smoother vodka, something the company claims to have devised thanks to a new filtration process that uses “pressure equal to three 30-foot [ocean] waves.”

While Von Mandl said there are no plans, currently, to expand into other spirits, he said the company is looking to find ways “disrupt other beverage categories,” whatever that means. 

Why it matters: It’s no secret that Canadians are drinking less, with the volume of alcohol sold dropping for the first time in nearly a decade. But that drop was heavily concentrated in beer and wine. White Claw, which already established itself as the leader of the hard seltzer wave, is finding a new way to meet market demand for alcohol that’s lighter on the stomach.  

Bottom line: Like how every drink company seemingly came out with a hard seltzer in 2020, White Claw’s foray into vodka could signify a broader shift into the next big product area.