Highballs are High up in the sky!

 

Here, the popularity of highball is still soaring up with no sign of abating. Due to the high ball boom, the import of mid- to low-priced whiskey has increased, and whiskey's status is growing day by day.

According to the Korea Customs Service's trade statistics, imports of whiskey such as Scotch, bourbon and so on from January to October this year were 26,937 tons (ton), up 26.8% from the same period last year.

The increase in whisky imports is due to the steady popularity of highball, which is combination of sparkling water or tonic water and whisky. It is said that major consumers are the MZ generation (born in the 1980s and 2000s), but my observation is that the trend spills over to the whole generations of Koreans. Of course, I am also drinking these beverages more often than ever.

Above all, the number of whiskies imported has increased significantly compared to the past. Whisky, which used to be "expensive alcohol," is gradually changing into popular alcohol.

More and more people are looking for whiskey at large discount stores, which has become cheaper. According to E-Mart's analysis of liquor sales from January to October this year, whiskey accounted for 13 percent of the total, slightly exceeding imported beer (12.9 percent).

It seems "high-ball craze" coincides with the end-of-year atmosphere where more dinner gatherings are held, with the young generation in their 20s and 30s, the liquor industry is competing with new products tailored to mixology that are enjoyed by mixing two or more alcoholic beverages.

Mixology is not uncommon here in Korea, but in the different context; people my age enjoy quote unquote Somaek, which is mixture of beer and soju. And soju also contributed to highball craze too. Unlike regular whiskey-based highballs, exotic products containing soju also attract attention. Lotte Chilsung Beverage's recent highball RTD(ready to drink) can "Chumcherum × Sol Eu Noon" is the main character, with a 500ml capacity and an alcohol content of 6 degrees. As the name of the product reveals (Sol means pine tree in Korean), it is a product that enhances the refreshing taste by adding Swiss pine sprout extracts plus soju Chumcherum.

Carbrew, a craft beer company, also recently unveiled "Bubble Whiskey" and is focusing on targeting the MZ generation. Bubble Whiskey is a product that applies its own cocktail recipe developed by bartender Son Seok-ho, who has won awards at home and abroad, including winning World Cocktail Competition. Two types of RTD cocktails have been released that can be drunk conveniently in ordinary households, and several ingredients such as lemon, ginger ale, chocolate, and cherry have been added to classic cocktails. On October 25, when 120,000 cans were sold in CU, a convenience store, a day after its sales began, Carbru began producing more than expected.

So far, I have drunk some highballs at bars and RTDs purchased from convenient stores and some of them are enjoyable. But I also have impression that as the competition becomes keen, and more and more products of mediocre quality will also come to the markets. Second movers need to be more creative and daring to attract people out there. It remains to see how highballs & whisky industries broaden consumer classes and make current vigor last longer.