Japan’s Kirin Holdings has introduced its ready-to-drink (RTD) brand Hyoketsu to the US market.
From today (2 March), the vodka seltzer will be available in Hawaii, Tampa in Florida, and The Japan Pavilion at Epcot theme park.
In a statement, Kirin said the RTDs were “created with American consumers in mind”.
The group is launching the product in the US under strawberry and pineapple variants, noting these are “two flavours popular with US consumers”.
Kirin’s US alcoholic drinks activity is led by New Belgium Brewing. The Japanese group told Just Drinks that Hyoketsu RTDs are being produced at New Belgium Brewing’s Daleville brewery in Virginia.
Through local manufacturing and sales in the US, Kirin “seeks to deliver fresh fruit flavour in a convenient format while building Hyoketsu as a scalable global brand”, the group said in its statement.
When asked whether the business had secured contracts in the US for the brand, Kirin said currently “no specific retailer or on-trade contracts have been disclosed”.
It added that the limited release in Florida and Hawaii is intended to “evaluate consumer response and market fit before considering broader distribution or additional partnerships”.
When asked why Kirin thought the brand could succeed in the US, the business said the RTD market there was "shifting from hard seltzers to spirit‑based RTDs, creating opportunities for vodka-based products like Hyoketsu".
It also said Hyoketsu is intended to stand out with a fruit-led profile, emphasising “real fruit” character and a crisp taste, which sets it apart from "overly sweet RTDs".
Kirin added the drink's formulation had been tweaked for the US, with a change to sweetness and and a higher alcohol content of 5.8% abv.
Introduced in 2001, Hyoketsu has become one of Japan’s leading RTD labels, according to Kirin.
In its home market, cumulative sales have reached about 15 billion units on a 350ml-equivalent basis as of 31 December 2025.
The move follows a recent RTDs push by another Japanese brewer.
In January, Asahi Group Holdings announced a rollout its Japanese RTD brand Zeitaku Shibori in the US.
The vodka-based drink contains 10% fruit juice and has been developed in lemon and peach variants for the US market, with production at Asahi’s Octopi site in Wisconsin.
The products went on sale in mid-December, with an initial focus on cities including Los Angeles, New York and Miami.
