King of Cans? RTD Industry Scrambles for the Ultimate Chuhai and Highball
Latest Business Report (Part 2)
Who will break the champion Suntory’s stronghold?
As the long-running “Strong Boom” comes to an end, the beverage industry is searching for a new ultimate drink. Rival companies are striving to challenge the dominance of Suntory, the champion with overwhelming market share in the RTD (Ready To Drink—alcoholic beverages other than beer, such as canned chuhai, canned cocktails, and canned highballs, that can be consumed immediately upon opening) market.
Takara Shuzo, ranked third in the industry and known as the original RTD company with products like “Shochu Highball” and “Takara can chuhai,” has surpassed Suntory in the tea-mixed category.
“In March ’24, Suntory released ‘Kodawari Sakaba Ocha Sour – Iyemon,’ but production has now ended. ‘Takara Shochu’s Soft Ocha Wari’ has won overwhelmingly. That said, the tea-mixed segment is still quite small in overall industry sales.” (Takahiro Ezawa, beverage industry expert)
Asahi Beer, ranked fourth in the industry, caused a strong departure through the proposal of “SmaDori” and in June ’24 successfully developed the ultimate drink in the lemon sour market.
“This is the world’s first canned chuhai with lemon slices, called ‘Future Lemon Sour.’ It’s a product that brings together the technical expertise of the beer industry’s champion, applying technology from the ‘Super Dry Draft Can.’ When you pop open the round lid, the lemon floats up—fun to watch.
However, it will be difficult for this to become the RTD industry’s ‘Super Dry.’ Other products can be purchased for around 100 yen, while this one costs nearly 300 yen” (ibid.).
Coca-Cola, ranked sixth, had a smash hit in ’21 with its carefully crafted lemon sour “Lemon-do,” but its momentum slowed with the arrival of the unsweetened boom. The release of “Lemon-do Unsweetened Cloudy Lemon” seems less appealing to fans who liked the original sweet and easy-to-drink Lemon-do.
Meanwhile, Sapporo, ranked fifth and similarly trailing far behind the champion, struggled with the ’23 release of “Shin Lemon Sour” but managed to strike back against Suntory with a classic product.
“‘Sapporo Sour Hisai 1984,’ released in February ’25, has blocked Suntory’s dominance of ‘Kodawari Sakaba Tako High.’ It’s a canned sour version of ‘Sapporo White Brandy Hisai,’ sold to restaurants since ’84, with a simple taste and a somewhat nostalgic design that impressed consumers. How close it can get to ‘Tako High’—’26 will likely be a decisive year” (ibid., “Strong Uncle”).
While rival companies strive to topple the champion, Suntory is also producing new hits.
“Released in April ’25, the lemon sour ‘The Peel’ exceeded half of its annual sales target within two months, and its packaging was renewed in December. It’s sugar-free and dry, but the bitterness of the peel adds depth to the flavor, making it healthier and easier to pair with meals compared to ‘-196’ or ‘Kodawari Sakaba Lemon Sour’” (Ezawa).
Will the champion’s dominance continue, or will a new ultimate drink rise to challenge it? The RTD industry battlefield keeps expanding.
From “FRIDAY”, combined issue January 30 – February 6, 2026