Liquid Death is expanding into the energy drink category with a new product launch slated for January, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, citing company executives. The move represents the brand’s entry into one of the top-performing beverage segments in convenience retail.
The new drink, called Sparkling Energy, will feature 100 milligrams of caffeine—roughly the amount in a cup of coffee—and will be marketed as a “better-for-you” option. The formula contains no sugar or artificial sweeteners and includes added vitamins. The product will be packaged in 12-ounce slim cans.
“We thought, ‘Let’s have a sane level of caffeine, that’s equal to a cup of coffee, because it seems like the category has gone a little caffeine-crazy,’” said Liquid Death founder and CEO Mike Cessario in an interview with WSJ.
Best known for its branding and mountain-sourced canned water, Los Angeles-based Liquid Death has expanded in recent years to include flavored sparkling water and iced teas. The brand ranked No. 6 on Circana’s 2024 New Product Pacesetters report, which highlights top product launches across food, beverage and nonfood consumer packaged goods.
Energy drinks remain a major growth engine in the cold vault. After bottled water, the category posted the largest volume gain among refreshment beverages in 2024, growing 1.6%, according to Beverage Digest Editor and Publisher Duane Stanford, speaking at CSP’s Cold Vault Forum in May. Stanford noted that energy drinks accounted for 17.7% of c-store volume share at the end of 2024, though the segment saw a 1.1% dip in volume sales.
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