Type Malt beverage Country of origin U.S. Discontinued U.S. 2008 | Manufacturer Coors Brewing Company Introduced 1993 Proof (US) 10 | |
Similar Clearly Canadian, Corona (beer), Fruitopia | ||
Zima Clearmalt was a clear, lightly carbonated alcoholic beverage, that was made and distributed by the Coors Brewing Company. Introduced in 1993, it was marketed as an alternative to beer, an example of what is now often referred to as a cooler, with 4.7%-5.4% alcohol by volume. Its production in the United States ceased in October 2008, but it is still marketed in Japan.
History
Zima means "winter" in Slavic languages. David Placek, at Lexicon Branding, working with the company's Russian linguist came up with the name. It was launched nationally in the United States as Zima Clearmalt in 1993 after being test-marketed two years earlier in the cities of Nashville, Sacramento, and Syracuse. The lemon-lime drink was part of the "clear craze" of the 1990s that produced products such as Crystal Pepsi and Tab Clear. The slogans used in early advertisements for Zima were "a truly unique alcohol beverage" and "Zomething different".
Zima offered an alternative to the then-successful wine cooler category, and it became very popular. Coors spent $50 million marketing Zima in its first year, persuading nearly half of American alcohol drinkers to try it. Brandweek magazine reported that at Zima's peak in 1994, 1.2 million barrels of the beverage were sold. Originally popular among young women, Coors made its first attempt at attracting young men to the brand in 1995 by marketing Zima Gold, an amber-colored beverage that promised a "taste of bourbon"; the drink was unpopular and disappeared from store shelves within the year.
In describing "The Long, Slow, Torturous Death of Zima", writer Brendan Koerner cited Zima's perceived reputation as a "girly-man" beverage and its persistent parodying by late-night TV host David Letterman. The Chicago Tribune reported that distributors were asked to stock "caffeinated alcoholic beverage Sparks on retail store shelves to make up for Zima’s absence".
In the late 2000s, the beverage was marketed in three additional flavors: citrus, tangerine, and pineapple citrus. In addition, blackberry and green apple flavors were also marketed.
On October 20, 2008, MillerCoors LLC announced that it had discontinued production of Zima in the U.S., choosing instead to focus on other "malternative" beverages. Zima is still sold and marketed in Japan.
In February of 2017, MillerCoors announced that they are in negotiations to bring Zima back to the U.S. market.