Diageo's W Ice goes mainstream

By Lee Hyo-sik

Diageo's W Ice by Windsor (W Ice)

Diageo Korea has been riding high on growing consumer demand for mild liquor with its flagship product W Ice by Windsor (W Ice).

To cope with the falling demand for hard liquor as more Koreans prefer low-alcohol drinks amid the well-being trend, the company has been actively promoting W Ice as an alternative to its traditional whisky brands.

The spirit drink has also been well received by female drinkers who have emerged as a main consumer group in Korea’s liquor market.

Its sales have also been fueled by the growing “fine drinking” culture where people gather at upscale bars to drink cocktails and other low-alcohol drinks. The company has been hosting bartender contests, such as the Diageo World Class, to help increase the popularity of mild alcohol drinks.

“We are writing a success story with W Ice,” said a spokesman for the Korean unit of the British premium whisky maker. “We have successfully been capitalizing on rapidly changing consumer tastes toward low-alcohol spirits. Diageo will continue to introduce high-quality, innovative products that consumers seek.”

W Ice has an alcohol content of 35 percent, compared with the 40 percent for conventional Scotch whisky. According to Diageo, the beverage retains the unique flavor and taste of conventional Scotch whisky.

W Ice is blended with Scotch whisky (99.85 percent) and other ingredients, including pine, dates and dried fig essence.

The product was available only to those residing in Busan and surrounding South Gyeongsang Province from March through June.

But the company began selling it on the country’s southern resort island of Jeju on July 1. Now, consumers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province can get to taste W Ice.

“We decided to offer the product in Seoul sooner than we initially planned because of its enormous popularity with consumers,” the spokesman said. “Since we launched W Ice on Aug. 18, the sales have been increasing at a faster pace than we expected. We are positive that the low-alcohol sprit will also be a huge hit in Seoul.”

In April, Diageo had to bring in additional bottles from Britain as their stocks ran out in Busan.

The company said it has secured larger quantities of W Ice to meet increasing demand in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

A 450-milliliter bottle of W Ice costs 27,500 won ($23) at discount stores and other retailers.