As people move away from alcohol, "Sugar-Free Chuhai"*2, a new mainstream category consumed by one out of two people*1, is driving the market with Kirin Hyoketsu® Sugar-Free series surpassing 1.8 billion bottles*3 at the fastest pace!
The Kirin Hyoketsu® Sugar-Free series surpasses 1.8 billion bottles at the fastest pace, leading the "sugar-free chuhai" market.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 05:11
Kirin Beer Co., Ltd. (President Hideki Horiguchi) sells the "Kirin Hyoketsu® Sugar-Free (hereinafter referred to as Hyoketsu® Sugar-Free)" series, which is made without any sugars or sweeteners, offering a non-sweet and fruit-forward taste. Since its launch in 2020, it has grown to become the No.1*5 brand in our RTD*4 sales and has surpassed 1.8 billion bottles at the fastest pace among our RTD brands launched in the past 20 years, leading the "sugar-free chuhai" category. Ahead of the liquor tax revision scheduled for October, we conducted a survey on the actual consumption of the "sugar-free chuhai" category, which has been rapidly expanding in the RTD market in recent years.
*1: January 2024 - December 2025_Among those who purchase alcohol 4 times or more a year / Estimated by Kirin Beer using Macromill QPR data (N=16,011 people)
*2: "Sugar-free Chuhai" is defined as chuhai that promotes being "sugar-free"
*3: Converted to 350ml bottles as of the end of February 2026
*4: Abbreviation for Ready to Drink. Alcoholic beverages that can be drunk directly after opening the cap.
*5: "Hyoketsu® Sugar-Free" series 2025 annual shipment results
From 2020, when "Hyoketsu® Sugar-Free" was launched, to 2025, the "sugar-free chuhai" category's share in the RTD market has continuously expanded by approximately 5 times [Figure 1]. In 2024, it surpassed the purchase volume of highballs, and while the purchase volume of other categories such as beer and sugar-sweetened chuhai stagnated or remained flat, it can be said that this category has established its popularity. [Figure 2]
■"Sugar-Free Chuhai" is a new standard for alcoholic beverages, purchased by 1 in 2 people!
According to the survey*6, it was found that as people move away from alcohol, one out of two people (50.0%) drink "sugar-free chuhai" [Figure 3]. Even among those who "don't drink much alcohol," many customers...