A few weeks ago, one of my relatives walked into our house (on their way to swim at the neighborhood pool across the street) holding a tallboy can that looked like a beer.
I wouldn’t have thought anything of it except for that fact that the relative in question was my nine-year-old niece!
I'd love to have seen the look on my face, because I was confused, wondering if I'd awakened that morning in an alternate universe where 21 was no longer the legal drinking age.
She left the can sitting on the counter. And after the crew walked over to the pool, I snatched it up, and studied the labeling.
“Liquid Death” it said (in an Old English-type font) and the liquid inside was labeled as “Mountain Water.”
My fears were initially allayed. The beverage was nothing more than water.
I thought maybe it was like the old idiom that states “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s just packaging, after all. What harm could it do?
Suffice it to say, our family ended up having a fun and spirited conversation about this after the fact via group text.
I told Bridget: “This is my next blog post.”
It’s obvious on initial glance that Liquid Death canned water is designed to be provocative. “Murder Your Thirst” is the brand’s tagline, and it is canned by Austrian beverage company Starzinger (the brand itself was concocted by former creative director Mike Cessario, the mind behind promos for Netflix shows like “Stranger Things”).
The name Liquid Death evokes the term “liquid courage” (a euphemism used to describe alcoholic beverages and their ability to make you do unusual things).
The words “Don’t Be Scared. It’s Just Water” grace the front page of the Liquid Death website (as of this writing) with a series of social media videos showing a person "shotgunning" (poking a hole in the side of the can and drinking it) along with one of a young girl consuming the beverage.
They sell both “sparkling” and “still” waters. On the descriptions of the sparkling variants, it reads “Liquid Death Sparkling Water doesn't just look like a beer, it is actually carbonated like a beer.”
(Being carbonated like beer essentially means less carbonation than typical sparkling water drinks.)
On the site’s FAQ section, one of the questions is “Is Liquid Death safe for children?”
The answer — “Yes and highly recommended” — epitomizes the approach the brand takes with its website (and aluminum can) copy.
In the intervening weeks since I was introduced to Liquid Death (and after having procured four cans for this blog post), I have shown the beverage to various parents I know to gauge their reactions — friends, relatives, members of our neighborhood pool, and even the woman who cuts my hair.
While my research is firmly planted in the anecdotal realm, the parents I showed Liquid Death to were rather surprised. The overarching sentiment seemed to be: “This looks like a gateway product that could encourage underage drinking.”
As mentioned earlier, that sort of controversy is part of the brand's unique selling proposition. Like it or not, they don't shy away from it.
This Liquid Death commercial — set to Judas Priest’s song “Breaking the Law” — epitomizes that vibe as viewers see young kids partying while drinking the beverage:
The brand has apparently supplied various online influencers with Liquid Death. Others have found it on their own.
Tech YouTuber iJustine recently shared a picture of herself holding a can of Liquid Death on her Twitter account:
Hehe pic.twitter.com/sKBmJ2APAa
— iJustine (@ijustine) July 16, 2022
The main question in all of this is whether or not a product that *looks* like beer — even if it is just a harmless can of water — can have negative consequences as it regards underage drinking.
That is certainly a subject for debate.
It sort of reminds me of the “candy cigarettes” they sold when I was a kid. Did those chalky sugar sticks make a kid more likely to become a smoker later in life?
In my case, the answer was no. But I’m not everyone.
I will say this... as someone who doesn’t consume alcoholic beverages, sometimes you can feel a little out of place at parties and gatherings when you aren’t partaking in the adult beverages offered. In those instances, it is possible holding a Liquid Death water might make you look less out of place.
The other question is whether or not the Liquid Death water is any good.
I drink a number of sparkling water brands. In recent months, I’ve been into Spindrift and BUBBL'R sparkling water brands. The latter of the two has become a favorite of mine.
I’ve sampled Liquid Death's “Mango Chainsaw” and “Severed Lime” sparkling water flavors.
Both of them were just okay, in my opinion. Neither was particularly remarkable. Frankly, the lower carbonation level in the drink (which is done by design) made the beverage seem somewhat flat to me. For me, this genre of drink really depends on its “bubble” factor (as far as I'm concerned, the more bubbles the better).
In that regard, it does make me wonder if Liquid Death’s viral popularity is largely smoke and mirrors — unremarkable canned water that is basically buoyed by unorthodox packaging and marketing.
When the novelty wears off (which it will), does the product have the legs to survive?
I’ll let you decide for yourself.
In the meantime, you can purchase Liquid Death at select online retailers like Amazon and at brick-and-mortar outlets like Target, 7-Eleven, and Whole Foods.
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