Brown-Forman and The Coca-Cola Company announce plans to launch Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Whiskey and Coca-Cola®™ Ready-to-Drink Cocktail
Courtesy: Coca-Cola Company
Coca-Cola teams up with Jack Daniels Brenner Brown-Forman to create a Jack and Cola cocktail in a can.
It’s the fourth new alcoholic beverage in Coke’s portfolio in less than two years, but the first pairing for the soda pop of the same name. The Atlanta-based beverage giant has previously partnered with Molson Coors Beverage for Topo Chico Hard Seltzer and Simply Spiked Lemonade, which launched this month, and Constellation Brands for Fresca Mixed Cocktails.
As soda consumption falls, Coke isn’t the only beverage maker pushing its soft drink brands into alcohol through partnerships. Rival PepsiCo launched Hard Mtn Dew earlier this year through a partnership with Boston Beer brewery Sam Adams.
Brewers also benefit from partnerships with Coke and Pepsi by diversifying their portfolio away from beer, while liquor companies can leverage well-known brands to market more canned cocktails. Brown-Forman has been selling canned cocktails for more than three decades, including a Jack and Cola drink made with generic cola. But the category has seen a resurgence in recent years as alcohol consumers look for convenient options.
According to the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, ready-to-drink beverages have been the fastest-growing alcohol segment since 2018, stealing market share from beer. Hard seltzer makes up the bulk of the category, but spirit-based canned cocktails have been gaining ground.
Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola’s canned cocktail will launch in Mexico later this year before expanding to other markets.
A sugar-free version of the canned cocktail will also be available. Coke CEO James Quincey predicted in early 2021 that Zero Sugar Coke would be the company’s biggest source of growth over the next several years.
The new drink’s packaging features both the Coke and Jack Daniel logos, as well as symbols to indicate that it is only for persons of legal drinking age. As soda brands move into the alcohol category, the National Beer Wholesalers Association and other industry players have raised concerns about underage consumption.
As Coke expands its alcohol portfolio, the company said it has developed a policy for the responsible marketing and sale of its alcoholic beverages. The approach includes targeting its advertising only to consumers who are over the legal purchase age and refraining from assuming any health benefits to consumers from these products.