Liquid Death’s beverage platform is expanding to energy drinks with its first new RTD launch in over three years, as the company shared a first look at its new Sparkling Energy line in 12 oz. cans that are set to launch at retail in January 2026.
According to an exclusive report in the Wall Street Journal, Sparkling Energy will contain zero sugar and 100mg of caffeine (sourced from green coffee) per can, an amount that Liquid Death founder and CEO Mike Cessario said goes against category norms. The drink also contains L-Theanine, Magnesium and B and C Vitamins.
“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’,” Cessario told the Journal. Expect marketing to take aim at some of the category’s hyper-masculine cliches, he added.
An image shared by the Journal shows a 12 oz. can with the tagline “Death to Drowsy” and featuring callouts for “Unextreme Caffeine” and “Boosts Metabolism.” An image shared by Cessario on Linkedin showed four flavors: Scary Strawberry, Orange Horror, Murder Mystery and Tropical Terror.
Writing about the launch, Cessario said Liquid Death partnered with “one of the top longevity and wellness specialists”– Dr. Darshan Shah, MD, known as Dr. Shah— to help develop the product formula. The doctor will also play a part in the line’s launch campaign.
Since debuting as a canned import water in 2019, Liquid Death has grown its reach into multiple ready-to-drink categories, launching flavored sparkling water in 2022 and iced teas in 2023. The company was valued at $1.4 billion in its most recent funding round in March 2024.
Entering energy drinks presents a new opportunity for the brand to leverage its brand equity in a growing category. Its entrance may also be a boon to DSD distributors that have seen energy brands like Ghost and Celsius exit to strategics in recent years; note that eight out of Liquid Death’s top-10 distributors invested in the $67 million round last year.