NEW YORK -- Diageo North America recently rolled out Smirnoff Source, the new premium malt beverage offering that combines pure spring water with alcohol. It is now on beer retailers' shelves and bars throughout the Northeast.
At 3.5% alcohol by volume, this beverage, with a hint of citrus, has fewer calories and lower alcohol by volume than most popular domestic beers, the company said.
Smirnoff Source is the first malt beverage in the U.S. to contain pure spring water and a malt-based alcohol, Diageo said. Its suggested retail [image-nocss] price is approximately $10 for a four-pack.
This new lower-alcohol malt beverage delivers to consumers an ultra- premium product with the cache and provenance of the Smirnoff Brand, said Mark Breene, vice president, Diageo Progressive Adult Beverages. We are creating a new experience for adult consumers with a lower-alcohol product that fits in with today's contemporary adult lifestyle.
Available in a 16-oz. glass bottle and 16-oz. four-packs, the packaging, labels and all marketing materials are clearly labeled Smirnoff Source contains spring water + alcohol,' as approved by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Tax & Trade Bureau, the federal agency that regulates the alcohol beverage industry and oversees and certifies all alcohol beverage labels in the United States.
This new beer-based alternative is now available in 15 northeastern U.S. states including Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Washington, DC, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Source will also begin appearing in nightclubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami.
It's all supported by a responsible marketing campaign that articulates precisely what Smirnoff Source isand what it is not, said Guy L. Smith, executive vice president of Diageo. As with all of Diageo's adult beverages, the marketing and promotion of Smirnoff Source is governed by Diageo's marketing code, which is one of the most stringent in the industry, he added.
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