A report from The Japan Times last week (see HERE) shows that beer shipments
in Japan keep on declining. Now thirteen years in a row, and last year down
2.6% from 2016.
Japan’s four big beer companies just can’t turn things around.
Their ads usually show middle-aged people with bright smiles, who hold up a
glass and perhaps wish they were 10-30 years younger. Case in point: Suntory’s Premium
Malt’s ads feature a dapper Ichiro Suzuki, once a great baseball player and
still well known and loved in Japan – but now so definitely a fading star.
All four of the of the major beer companies, however, are seeing
tremendous growth in another product: chuhai. Short for “shochu highball”, these drinks are made from
inexpensive shochu spirits (or more
recently, vodka), soda water, and fruit juice. They have been rising in
popularity since the 2008 financial crisis led consumers to seek out cheap ways
to get a buzz. In addition, their low-carb profile makes them attractive to
health-conscious imbibers. A quick visit to any large liquor store will reveal
a startling variety of these canned drinks.
Generally around 5% alcohol, canned shochu
drinks have been creeping to 8-9% in recent years. These higher-powered varieties
appeal to middle-aged men, and they offer a quick after-work jolt. Two examples
are Suntory’s Strong Zero and Kirin’s Hyoketsu lines.
A couple of my beer friends swear by Kirin’s Hon Shibori
series, since it contains no sugar (only fruit juice and vodka).
However, I’m
sticking with beer for the time being, and perhaps I will slowly decline along
with it.
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