With the British market for alcopops and ready-to-drink (RTD) spirits among the most vibrant in the world, it is not surprising that the UK is also seen as the prime market to launch products which can compete with RTDs but which offer drinkers an innovative alternative.
One such product has this week been launched in the UK by independent distributor BO Times 1. Kopparbergs premium flavoured ciders are made by the Swedish brewery of the same name, and are made with real fruits and natural spring water.
Four flavours will be available initially in the UK - pear, elderflower, strawberry and apple - and each 33cl bottle is 4.5 per cent abv.
Kopparbergs cider is sold in over half of all pubs, bars and restaurants in its native Sweden, as well as in 12 other countries, mainly in Europe but also North America and Thailand.
The drink is made from organic fruit which is allowed to ferment naturally - unlike other products on the market which are based on alcohol added to fruit essences, claimed BO Times 1.
Unlike the declining market for apple cider in the UK - to which the recent performance of market leader HP Bulmer bears a stark testament - cider sales in Scandinavia are booming, mostly because the products offer a wider range of flavours and are often marketed as more sophisticated products.
Kopparbergs cider in the UK is being firmly positioned as an alternative to RTDs or premium packaged beers, a niche that UK cider makers have found hard - if not impossible - to enter. But with a light taste, an alcoholic strength which is significant but not overbearing and a decidedly premium look, perhaps the Swedish cider will fare better.