Kooksoondang’s Icing, a ready-to-drink (RTD) rice wine (Makkoli), has hit the 18 million mark in global cumulative sales as it has continued to enjoy high popularity among young consumers.
Korean alcoholic beverage maker Kooksoondang said on Dec. 21 that 18,084,000 Icing cans were sold as cumulative sales of Icing had surpassed the 180 million threshold on Dec. 18, only 40 months after its launch in Aug. 2012.
Kooksoondang’s Icing, a concoction of grapefruit juice and Makkoli, has found favor with the younger generation as it harmoniously delvers the sweet and tart flavor of tropical citrus fruit grapefruit and Makkoli’s unique refreshing feeling, similar to that of a carbonated drink. Besides, in line with a growing trend towards reduced or low alcohol drinks, Kooksoondang has lowered the alcohol content of Icing to 4 percent, thus broadening its appeal to younger drinkers.
Icing has been selling in nearly 25 countries since it began to hit overseas markets in Jan. 2013. In 2013, the Icing received two golden stars (out of 3) at Monde Selection, an annual non-competitive award open to food and drink products, run by International Institute for Quality Selections in Brussels, Belgium. In 2014, Icing was selected as one of the innovative products at SIAL Brazil, an international trade fair for food that takes place once a year in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
This year, Icing won eight medals at various international alcoholic beverage competitions, including the 76th Los Angeles International Wine Competition.
