While the term “hard water” might make you think of whether you need to change your detergent brand, in the case of Bluebird Hardwater, it’s a little more literal. The ready-to-drink cocktail launched this week offering the first canned beverage combining premium spirits with pure non-sparkling mineral water.
In sharp contrast to the flavor-forward RTDs crowding shelves, the Bluebird Hardwater line is as simple as a canned “cocktail” can get— there’s a vodka water, a tequila water, and an aged whiskey water. With ABV hovering at 4%, founder Will Blum hopes to provide a low-alcohol RTD option that ditches the sugar, additives and bubbles.
As a new type of low-ABV RTD, Blum has found a niche at grocery stores in Florida which can’t sell products over 6% ABV.
“But if you’re below that level, which we are, it allows the grocery stores to now sell a vodka, tequila, and whiskey drink that they weren’t able to sell previously,” he said.
The brand leveraged deals with Circle K and Walmart to get distribution with Anheuser-Busch in Florida. It’s also distributed by Empire in New York and will be available online in 23 states next week. Blum plans on gaining a large footprint in Florida and New York before launching elsewhere.
But who is the consumer?
“Maybe they drink a spirit on the rocks, but they never really had a canned go-anywhere beverage for the beach or golf course that is just premium spirit and water,” said Blum.
Blum, who is making his first foray into the beverage industry, also aims to capitalize on mindful drinking trends driving shifts to premium and low-alcohol beverages. The entrepreneur studied business and advertising at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and worked for several of his father’s start-ups in various industries afterwards. As a native of Jackson Hole, Wyoming and a frequent surfer, Blum wanted to create a product that would fit his athletic and entrepreneurial lifestyle.
While Bluebird emphasizes its simplicity, coming up with the final product was a complicated process, as carbonation and additives are usually the ingredients that help preserve the stability of canned alcoholic beverages. Blum hired consultant Brian Makela, who spent over 15 years in development and research at Diageo, to find the unique formula. Other advisors include James Eason, previously of Blue Angel Spirits, and Rodolfo Ruiz, a 40-year beverage industry veteran and former CEO of Bacardi USA.
Other carbonation-free RTDs like Mom Water have found a niche offering zero sugar and no-additive products, but Bluebird’s straightforward packaging and marketing campaigns lean into the practicality of drinking. While Blum uses the spirit-on-the-rocks comparison to explain the flavor of the products, the brand might be the first to target the type of health-conscious consumer that has made the “vodka water” a quietly trending bar order.
“Normally you avoid your water glass and you drink a cocktail all night long, and then you get home and end up chugging a bunch of water to try to recuperate the next day,” he said. “So it’s like those two things come together to make Bluebird.”