The hard seltzer market is more saturated than ever before. It seems like every day a new brand is hitting shelves or an existing brand is coming out with new flavors. One thing, however, has remained constant since the very beginning of the hard seltzer craze– White Claw continues to dominate the market.

According to a report published by BackBar, an alcohol inventory management platform for on-premise venues, as of this year White Claw still controls the largest portion of the hard seltzer market at nearly 45%. The iconic seltzer also has five flavors represented in the top ten spots by product market share, including White Claw Black Cherry and White Claw Mango which are #1 and #2 respectively.

White Claw Black Cherry, a fan favorite which has been in the #1 slot for three years running, claimed a whopping 13.32% of the market while White Claw Mango captured an impressive 9.22%. White Claw’s Natural Lime, Raspberry and Ruby Grapefruit also made the list. The brand’s Black Cherry, Mango and Lime flavors make up almost half of the total product share.

Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw launched in 2016 and has remained a force to be reckoned with since its debut. The seltzer controlled more than 60% of the market last year, and even now, with an influx of competitors flooding the market, it still maintains a strong lead.

White Claw also comes out ahead in BackBar’s market share, accounting for 45% of its seltzer inventory. By comparison, Truly, High Noon, Bud Light Seltzer and Bon V!v, which round out the top five spots in BackBar’s inventory after White Claw, together only account for a combined 39.08% of its market.

It is worth noting that venues across the country are just beginning to reopen after being shut down for, in some cases, over a year and a half due to pandemic regulations. BackBar’s platform only tracks data for on-premise venues like bars and restaurants and does not include off-premise data from convenience stores, grocery stores or popular alcohol delivery programs such as Drizly.

White Claw continues to set its sights high. The brand currently has 11 hard seltzer flavors on the market and several variety packs. Each 12 ounce can of White Claw Hard Seltzer contains 100 calories, 2 grams of carbs and an ABV of 5%.

The brand also has a line of spiked iced teas featuring Lemon, Raspberry, Mango and Peach flavors. White Claw Hard Seltzer Iced Tea contains 100 calories, 1 gram of sugar and an ABV of 5% per 12 ounce can.

Earlier this year White Claw launched Surge, an imperial hard seltzer boasting an ABV of 8%. Surge is sold in 16 ounce cans, each containing 2 grams of sugar. It can be purchased in two bold flavors including Blood Orange and Cranberry.

Mark Anthony Brewing, which was founded by Canadian billionaire Anthony von Mandl, is also home to another ready-to-drink (RTD) pioneer, Mike’s Hard Lemonade. The brewing company continues to grow. It recently opened two new production facilities to keep up with consumer demand for White Claw and Mike’s Hard products. A new $250 million facility opened in Glendale, Arizona last summer. The company is currently putting its finishing touches on a $400 million flagship location in Columbia, South Carolina. The state-of-the-art facility will take up over a million square feet and, according to Mark Anthony Brewing, it will be “the largest, most advanced brewery built in the United States within the last 25 years.”

White Claw has faced the challenges of the past year and a half head on and continues to come out on top. The brand has made one thing abundantly clear–as businesses reopen and patrons emerge from quarantine, White Claw will be ready and waiting for them.

Shirani Jayasuriya
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