Ben TobinLouisville Courier Journal
Ale-8-One Bottling Company is rebranding its diet selection to emphasize the zero-sugar product offering to customers.
The Winchester, Ky.-based company announced Monday that the Diet Ale-8 is turning into Ale-8 Zero Sugar, with the new brand appearing on shelves in early February at major retailers throughout Kentucky and southern Ohio.
Though the packaging is changing, the “beverage inside the bottle is exactly the same,” Ale-8-One marketing director Chris Doyle said in a statement.
“The phrase ‘Zero Sugar’ better communicates that this drink tastes as great as the Original Ale-8 without the sugar or calories,” Doyle said. “‘Diet’ can also be perceived as outdated and doesn’t always come across as zero sugar. We wanted a brand that was more in-line with how consumers think today in a soft drink category that continues to grow.”
First bottled in 1926, Ale-8-One is the only soft drink invented in Kentucky that is still in existence. The diet brand was first introduced in 2003, and the rebrand follows the launch of Cherry Ale-8 Zero Sugar from last year.
Fourth-generation owner Fielding Rogers said the company “took our time in developing” the diet product 18 years ago “to ensure we could deliver on a zero sugar beverage that tasted as close to the original as possible.”
“That same great taste is staying, but it is time to update the branding to better reflect that it tastes just like the original without the sugar,” Rogers said in a statement.
Other Ale-8-One products include caffeine-free Ale-8 Zero Sugar, Cherry Ale-8 and Orange Cream Ale-8.