Vita Vodka Water. Credit: Vita Spirits.

Spanish alcohol brand Vita Spirits is set to launch Vita Vodka Water, ‘the world’s first vodka designed to be mixed with water.’ The vodka is specially designed to be mixed with still or sparkling water. It is to be distributed in the UK by International Beverage Holdings (Interbev).

The idea behind Vita Vodka Water came from a group of friends who saw how major alcohol producers had failed to respond to consumer healthy eating trends and decided to fill the gap in the market for low and zero-sugar options. Vita claims the product attracts health and lifestyle-conscious drinkers as it is designed to be mixed with water rather than soft drinks and contains no added sugar, gluten or additives.

Vita Spirits founder and CEO, Victor Ruiz Lafita, explained the company’s inspiration, saying: “We believe that many people won’t continue to drink in the traditional way and that Vita is way ahead of the game in this respect.”

“We hope to replicate Vita’s success in our native Spain, where Vita was the top-selling vodka on Amazon ES. As health is taken seriously in the UK, we’re confident that drinkers across the country will love Vita, which is free of sugar, additives and gluten. Britons also consume 15 times as much vodka than Spain – they now have the choice to ditch sugary mixers altogether and minimise the downsides of drinking.”

Created in partnership with a Barcelona distillery, the triple distilled vodka is comprised of original ingredients including premium Italian rye grain and low mineralised water. The low mineralisation of the water is achieved by a reverse osmosis desalinisation process, which means that when the vodka is mixed with water it remains unaltered and natural. Moreover, low mineralization ensures that the overall product retains the citrus flavour that comes from the addition of Mediterranean lemon peel extract.

“Our secret formula means that Vita needs only still or carbonated water to bring out its natural citrus flavours, creating a low-calorie, refreshing vodka drink that offsets dehydration and eliminates the need for sugary mixers,” said Ruiz Lafita.

“To develop this formula, we searched the Mediterranean region for the key ingredients, and partnered with a distillery in Barcelona with 142 years of collective experience to help us create a unique vodka that releases a burst of natural scents, flavours and freshness when it comes into contact with water.”

The vodka is already available in Spain, being sold at retailers such as Amazon and Vips López de Hoyos. Negotiations are underway with Spain’s largest retailer El Corte Inglés Gourmet to sell the product. A deal has also recently been signed with Mexico’s largest distributor and premium liquor chain La Europea.

Interbev commercial manager Phil Edwards talked about the distributor’s deal with Vodka Spirits, saying: “Vita caught my attention because it is the best-selling vodka brand on Amazon Spain. This is a great-tasting premium quality vodka, sold in a beautifully-designed bottle. We expect it to be equally popular when it launches in the UK.”

Ruiz Lafita concluded: “We have three key objectives for 2018: launch in major retailers in the UK; continue to spread the word at trade fairs and other events, and develop new flavours. In the long-term though, we hope to revolutionise the way the world drinks”.