Research on the RTD “Canned Chuhai & High-ball” Industry…! Suntory’s “The Best of the Best”: The Companies’ Aim to “Beat Suntory
Latest Business Report [Part 1
What comes after the “Strong Boom?
The long-lasting “Strong Boom” is coming to an end. In 2012, Asahi Breweries and Sapporo Breweries made a decision that caused a stir in the beverage industry.
In the year 2012, Asahi Breweries and Sapporo Breweries made a decision that caused a stir in the beverage industry: “One after another, they decided not to launch new canned chu-hi products of the so-called ‘strong boom’ type (with an alcohol content of 8% or more). In addition, major beverage makers such as Suntory and Kirin Brewery are also reducing their lineups of Strong-type beverages.
There are two major factors behind this.
One is the spread of “smart drinking” advocated by Asahi Breweries in ’20. This term, which refers to a way of drinking in which people freely choose the number and type of alcohol (including non-alcoholic and micro-alcoholic) according to their physical constitution and the occasion, has become common, leading to an increase in health-conscious young people who prefer ″low alcohol″ and ″sugar-free″ drinks. In addition, in 2009, the government asked companies to consider clearly indicating the amount of pure alcohol on the container, and this led to an increase in consumers who were concerned about their alcohol intake, which accelerated the shift away from “Strong” in the RTD industry” (trade journalist).
RTD stands for “ready to drink,” and refers to alcoholic beverages other than beer that can be drunk immediately after opening, such as canned chuhai, canned cocktails, and canned highballs. Uncle Strong,” a canned chuhai researcher who drinks more than 1,000 RTDs a year, also declares the end of the boom.
For middle-aged people like me, it is difficult to drink several bottles of Strong-type beverages a day. For middle-aged people like me, it is difficult to drink several bottles of Strong’s a day. I feel that plain sours, which are not too sweet and have a good body, are just right for me. Uncle Strong’ is now becoming ‘Uncle Plain.’ ……
Suntory, the biggest seller of RTDs in Japan, has been the most sensitive to this trend and has successfully changed its brand.
In January 2012, Suntory changed its brand name from “-196°C” to “-196°C” by removing the “°C” from the “-196°C” brand. The name “-196°C” is synonymous with “-196°C Strong Zero,” known by the nickname “Strong Zero,” and just by looking at it, one associates it with the Strong type. The name change was intended to dispel this image.
In 1924, we launched the new “-196 Sugar Free” and the renewed “-196 Strong Zero,” and in 1925 we introduced the “-196” series of plain sours with the same name as the brand. The “-196″ series has been selling well, with the fastest RTD sales volume in the last 20 years topping 20 million bottles,” said the company’s president.
Suntory also boasts the No. 1 plain sour “Kodawari Sour Taco Hai,” the No. 1 highball “Kaku Highball,” the No. 1 gin soda “Midori Gin Soda,” and the No. 1 low-alcohol chu-hi “Horoyoi,” showing its strength in each category.
In order to put a stop to Suntory’s monopoly, rival companies are now searching for a new “supreme drink.
Kirin, the second largest company in the industry, is following the lead of Suntory, and is the leader in the “unsweetened” genre, which is in growing demand. ……
Kirin’s strength is that it has the number one brand of chu-hai, Hyoketsu. Combining this with the growing health consciousness, Kirin launched “Hyoketsu Unsweetened” in 2008, which created an era. However, it is currently being overtaken by Suntory’s “-196 Unsweetened.
Hyoketsu Unsweetened” adds only one new flavor a year and a few limited-time-only flavors. On the other hand, “-196 Unsweetened” has been expanded to more than 10 flavors, including limited time offerings, in less than a year since its launch. Gin Soda Moronokoro” and “Huayoi,” which were launched to compete with Suntory’s “Midori Gin Soda” and “Horoyoi,” have also been unsuccessful.
From the January 30/February 6, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY