DSICA
Column – Our Hotel – June 2007
The ‘Super-strength’ RTD myth
By Gordon Broderick
What is heavier – a pound of lead or a pound of
feathers? Do you remember that childhood riddle? Nine out of ten times the answer
would be lead. Similarly, what is stronger – a standard drink of wine,
beer or spirits? You’d be surprised how many people answer spirits. Whether
it’s brewed, fermented or distilled, a standard drink of alcohol is a standard
drink of alcohol. In the 1990s when the ready to drink (RTD) category hit the
scene in a big way, many in the community thought that they had a higher alcohol
content because they contained spirits. Unfortunately, to a degree this myth
persists today.
Firstly some background on the standard drink concept. A standard
drink in Australia is equivalent to 10 grams or 12.67 ml of alcohol. In terms
of bottles, a 750 ml ‘long neck’ of beer contains around 3 standard
drinks, a 750 ml bottle of wine contains around 7 to 8 standard drinks, while
a 750 ml bottle of spirits contains around 20 standards drinks. Alternatively
stated, a 30 ml nip of spirits, a 285 ml glass of beer and a 100 ml glass of
wine each contain one standard drink of alcohol.
The average 375 ml RTD beverage – whether
it contains whisky, rum, or vodka – contains around 1.5 standard drinks.
A 375 ml can or stubby of full strength beer also contains around 1.5 standard
drinks. 1.5 standard drinks equates to approximately 5 per cent alcohol content
by volume (abv).
As the RTD beverage category matures, producers are expanding
their product ranges and taste profiles. A number of DSICA members are producing
a range of mid-strength beverages (3.5 per cent abv) containing around one standard
drink. On the other hand, producers are also offering RTDs that contain approximately
2 standard drinks (6 to 8 per cent abv). While tax concessions for beer have
led to a broad range of low to mid-strength beers on the market, a number of
niche products, particularly imported beers, also have an alcohol content of
6 to 8 per cent.
In recent months some in the community have raised concerns
about RTDs that contain approximately 2 standard drinks, dubbing them ‘super
strength’. Super strength indeed? This is a curious development since so
called ‘super strength’ RTDs contain around half the alcohol content
of wine. A balloon glass of red wine also contains around 2 standard drinks (or
more) and yet we do not here commentators complaining about ‘super strength’ wine.
It appears once again that RTDs are being unfairly targeted.
DSICA places a high
priority on promoting responsible consumption of alcohol and to communicating
the standard drink message. To that end, in 2004 DSICA members lead the way by
introducing a prominent standard drinks symbol on RTDs and spirit labels. Previous
labelling was often hard to see or difficult to find. Standard drink symbols
have now also been adopted by the beer and wine industries.
While the average
RTD contains around 1.5 standard drinks (or around 5 per cent abv), DSICA strongly
puts the view forward that producers have a right to cater for different taste
profiles by producing RTDs containing around 2 standard drinks (around 6-8 per
cent abv). These are hardly ‘super strength’ Taxation arrangements
ensure that higher strength RTDs are taxed at a greater rate than lower alcohol
beverages. This tax impost plus the premium nature of such products means that
such beverages are usually purchased by more mature drinkers. So next time you
encounter a ‘super strength’ RTD, I encourage you to examine to standard
drinks symbol, which is the important factor – remember that alcohol is
alcohol is alcohol.
