Dutch brewing heavyweight Heineken has expanded its range of Inch’s cider in the UK market with the addition of alcohol-free and cloudy variants.
The group’s UK business said it looked “to reinvigorate” the local apple cider segment with the two new SKUs, which have started to be rolled out across major grocers, convenience and wholesale channels.
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Inch’s 0.0, which Heineken’s UK arm said is “the first de-alcoholised cider in the UK”, is sold in a 4x440ml multi-pack cans format, at an RRP of £4 ($5.17), and £3.50 on promotion.
Speaking on the non-alcoholic launch, Amalka Woodall, quality technologist at Heineken’s Hereford cider facility in the UK, said: “Ciders that have alcohol removed sometimes miss their sensory characteristics which can make the product taste thin and watery, whereas we have worked hard to ensure that none of the depth and character of Inch’s Medium Apple is lost throughout the process.
“It’s been a challenge, but after two years of research, development and collaboration across multiple teams, we’re proud to introduce this UK-first for Heineken UK, and marking an exciting step forward in offering more choice to cider lovers without compromising on taste.”
In addition to Inch’s 0.0, the group has also launched Inch’s Cloudy, a “naturally cloudy cider”, which is exclusive to the on-trade and aims to target younger consumers “looking for a naturally sweeter innovation”, as well bring in new drinkers into the cider segment.
The 4% abv drink will also be sold in a 4x400ml and 10x440ml multipack cans format at at RRP of £5.65 and £11.50 respectively. RRP on promotion for the smaller and larger multipack formats is £4.75 and £9.
“With Inch’s Cloudy and Inch’s 0.0, we’re delivering innovation that not only tastes great but also challenges perceptions of what apple cider can be”, said Rachel Holms, cider brands director at Heineken’s UK branch.
“We’re confident these new additions will drive further growth in the category while reinforcing Inch’s reputation as a fresh, modern cider brand – encouraging existing Inch’s fans to explore new tastes, and providing a credible option for those who are looking to moderate their alcohol consumption.”
The launch is being supported by a nationwide marketing campaigns across TV, social media, and digital and out-of-home advertising, from April to September.
According to Heineken’s latest Cider Report released today (10 March), Inch’s is the leading brand by annual sales value in the central, south and south east and London regions of the UK.
Amsterdam-headquartered Heineken has been working in non-alcoholic beer for some time, launching a 0.0 version of its namesake beer in 2017 in the Netherlands and Germany. The product is today sold in over 110 markets throughout Europe, North America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific.
The group’s other non-alcoholic brand extensions include Amstel Oro 0.0, Birra Moretti Zero and Desperados Virgin 0.0.
In January 2025, Heineken published new research in collaboration with Ipsos and University of Oxford around consumer attitudes to low-and-no-alcohol.
The study, which includes responses from 11,800 people across the UK, the US, Spain, Japan and Brazil, found four in five consumers believe it is more acceptable to buy no-and-low-alcohol than five years ago but that peer pressure is holding back sales.
More than 80% of respondents said they believe drinking no-and-low options is more acceptable than years ago. More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents across the five countries reported they had tried no-and-low products.
Some 9% of respondents said they associated non-alcoholic drinkers with being ‘cool’ and 25% with being ‘respectable’. Meanwhile, 4% said they thought they were ‘uncool’ and 6% said they were ‘boring’.
