NuBar will not be stocking the new Heineken cider that is to be released in the coming weeks.
The bar will not be selling the cider as they do not stock Heineken products. “We won’t be stocking it… We don’t stock Bulmers. It’s too expensive and we wouldn’t be able to sell at a reasonable price for the college student.”
The new cider is to be a niche offering, said Heineken Ireland’s managing director Maggie Timoney. “I would say it’s a very balanced cider, so not too sweet, not too dry.”
“Jack Slatts is personally too sweet for me so most of the time I end up drinking beer in NuBar,” said student Emily Donnelly. “It would be nice to have something more balanced and it would be really nice to have more choice.”
“I think NuBar is very limited in the drinks they sell. Another brand of cider that would have been a middle ground would have been a welcome addition. Jack Slatts isn’t for everyone, a lot of people don’t like beer and the spirits there aren’t really up to scratch due to the limited choice and the fact that you get a tiny cup,” said Donnelly.
Heineken aims to innovate in the cider market and offer a wider choice, said Timoney. “We think that there’s still not a lot of choice in cider in Ireland and we want to ensure that we can offer more choice to the Irish consumer.”
“I’m always up for trying a new cider because I have yet to find one I genuinely enjoy,” said DCU student Rebecca McDonnell. “I hate the aftertaste of Jack Slatts and Bulmers is never in NuBar.”
“I really wanted to try a new regular drink in NuBar rather than having to go straight for a vodka and coke.”
In less than three years Heineken’s Orchard Thieves has taken 12 per cent of the cider market according to Hospitality Ireland.
This puts market pressure on Bulmers, who experienced a decrease in volume sales of 6 per cent in the year leading up to Febrauary 2018 according to Bulmers owner C&C.
Heineken have yet to announce the name of the new cider. It will be released in two to three weeks.