The High Noon Hype: Why This Hard Seltzer is so Popular

By Mary Small Published October 2020

Hard seltzer has been labeled as 2020’s “It Drink,” but the hype around one particular brand has caught our attention - High Noon Sun Sips. While White Claw remains the alpha to the seltzer (six) pack, it seems like there will be an inevitable challenge to be top dog in the category. When we recently posted an article about a blind hard seltzer taste test, we noticed an influx of feedback like this:

And this:

According to the Shanken News Daily, “Seltzers surged 235% to 76.4 million cases in the 30 weeks ending August 8 in Nielsen channels, with sales up 220% to $2.37 billion year-to-date.” There is no doubt that all the major brands are sharing a piece of that profit pie, but High Noon, in particular, seems to fly off of our shelves. We noticed the growth of High Noon surge 64% from April 2020 to May 2020. At first glance, it would be simple to write this off as a seasonal spike. Summer comes and everyone tends to drink a little lighter and find something cool and refreshing to ice down in their coolers; but the seltzer category itself grew 34%. What was the cause of High Noon nearly doubling the growth of the category itself? The peak in interest may have something, or probably a lot, to do with the “Portnoy Effect.” As EJ Gallo, supplier of High Noon, announced two new flavors, Peach and Lime, they simultaneously launched a marketing partnership with Barstool Sports, a sports media platform and brand with over 66 million monthly unique users, and its founder, Dave Portnoy. Their dedicated fan base (lovingly referred to as “Stoolies”) are a loyal bunch, so it comes as no shock that High Noon’s sales significantly increased with the media partnership.

Another factor that cannot be ignored is that consumers are increasingly aware of their health habits and want to opt for satisfying sips that won’t add too many pounds to their hips. Most seltzers are malt-based and a good portion are even gluten-free, but High Noon stands out in the crowd of cans because it is made with real vodka and real fruit juice (BTW, this is why it did not appear in our first article). With no added sugars and only 100 calories, your conscious won’t torment you when you crack a cold one open.

“People not only are being more health conscious with their drink choices, but also are looking for very light, flavorful options they can drink a few without feeling weighed down,” said Dave Larue, VP of Sales & Merchandising at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. “You can trace this trend back to the surge in sparkling water brands such as LaCroix, which then became a very popular mixer with vodka. It was just a matter of time before there were many sparkling ready-to-drink brands out there.”

Most hard seltzers are lighter libations, but brands differ in how they flavor their spiked sparkling drink. With High Noon, you get a truly untainted taste. Some seltzers can leave you with an aspartame-like aftertaste which really can spoil your satisfaction. High Noon is not made with artificial flavors or high-fructose corn syrup, so your lingering sip is more reminiscent of a freshly mixed cocktail. The authentic flavor is a major reason why The Tasting Panel named High Noon the best tasting hard seltzer in 2019. Here are the flavors High Noon offers:

Want to have your own hard seltzer taste test? Explore our seltzer selection here.

Interested in learning more? Visit our ABC Blog page.