White Claw Cashes in on the Pre-Mixed Cocktails Craze With ‘ClawTails’

(Photo: White Claw)

No, this isn’t a belated April Fool’s Day joke — White Claw is actually releasing a product dubbed “ClawTails.” Intended as a new take on the pre-mixed cocktail craze sweeping liquor store shelves across the nation, the release promises bolder flavor without straying too far from the brand’s roots.

ClawTails are rolling out nationwide in Strawberry Cosmo, Mango Margarita, Blackberry Mojito and Tropical Mai Tai varieties. Though each pays homage to a classic cocktail flavor, none is made with actual liquor. Instead, the brand has opted for the same malt alcohol base you’d find inside a standard seltzer, hard tea or beer. As the packaging says in bold, outlined letters: “Not A Seltzer. Not a Cocktail. It’s a ClawTail.”

Each can clocks in at 7% ABV (2% higher than a regular White Claw) and is said to contain real fruit juice and no artificial sweeteners. The launch already appears to be on sale at outlets like Target, Total Wine and Instacart at $17.99 per 12-can variety pack.

“White Claw has always been at the forefront of the ready-to-drink category by bringing drinkers more of the flavors they love in convenient and delicious varieties,” Kevin Brady, vice president of marketing for Mark Anthony Brands Inc., said in a news release. “ClawTails is an entirely new way to enjoy every social gathering with a line of drinks that offers a fun and refreshing twist on the classics.”

But why the change of pace for such an established name?

Though brands like White Claw and Truly still hold enormous market share, preferences have shifted noticeably since the hard seltzer peak of the late 2010s. These days, consumers are tending toward fuller-flavored pre-mixed cocktails made with real liquor, much like what High Noon, Buzzballz and Cutwater have innovated.

Simultaneously, we’ve seen a rise in malt-based twists on classic cocktails — think AB InBev’s wildly successful Lime-A-Ritas or Jim Beam’s Kentucky Coolers (confusingly, not made with actual spirits). ClawTails falls into this latter category.

It’s worth noting that White Claw has the resources to release a spirits-based cocktail should it choose down the road. In addition to a range of vodka-based and tequila-based seltzers, White Claw currently offers full-sized bottles of “triple wave filtered” vodka in Standard, Pineapple, Mango and Black Cherry varieties.