ew drinks review: pure water reaches new spiritual heights - Drinks B...http://www.drinks-business-review.com/article_feature_print.asp?guid...1 of 25/18/2008 10:22 PM

16th November 2007

By DBR Staff Writer

Bottled water makers have been making increasingly exaggerated claims about the health benefitsof their brands, but a new variety that recently featured on the Productscan database appears totop all of them. The Spiritual Water brand claims to help purify the mind as well as the body,containing Biblical text and images to inspire the drinker.

Spiritual Water, from the company Spiritual Brands, is a new bottled water that has recently been released in theUS. Marketed towards health-conscious Christians, the four varieties in the line are branded with images of Biblical figures and prayers, to deliver "purified thoughts and actions". Varieties include Balance Water featuringThe Lord's Prayer, Defense Water with the prayer Glory Be, Focus Water with the Hail Mary, and Formula J'Water with the Fatima prayer. The company says it will donate $0.10 for each bottle sold to The SpiritualFoundation, a charity for children in need. This is certainly a novel way to get noticed in the saturated bottledwater market.Another novel variety of bottled water has been launched in Poland. The Active O2 Fitness brand of FlavoredMineral Water in a Peach & White Tea variety is said to have 15 times more natural oxygen than traditional waterbrands, as well as containing five B vitamins, and as such is marketed as being better for you. Made with puremineral water from the Alpine mountains, the brand could appeal to health and fitness enthusiasts.Meanwhile, a new brand of green tea has been introduced in the US that is presented in one-shot bottles, which isnovel for this type of drink. The Zen Shot Green Tea Energy Shots from the company Shot Me Up is designed tobe easily portable so it can be consumed on-the-go. The company claims the drink is the world's first caffeine-freegreen tea energy shot, which provides the energy and antioxidant benefits of five to eight cups of green tea. Insteadof using artificial stimulants like caffeine, the drink provides an energy kick through its natural ingredients of teaextract, aloe vera juice, agave nectar, vitamin B and C, and panax ginseng.Moving to alcoholic drinks, Badischer Winzerkeller Breisach has launched the Pink Drink Weisswein mit Pink Grapefruit in Germany, consisting of white wine mixed with pink grapefruit. While the pink grapefruit content isquite unusual for a wine cooler, what makes this beverage stand out from the crowd is its unusual packaging - thedrink is presented in a heart-shaped glass bottle. This could make it an ideal gift for romantically inclined couples.Kopparbergs Bryggeri has also launched a fruit flavored alcoholic drink in the UK. The Kopparberg Cider withMixed Fruit offers a different twist to the traditional cider flavor, combining apple cider with blackcurrant andraspberry juice. With the trend for cider over ice reviving the tired cider market, novel fruit flavors like these couldoffer a new way of standing out from the crowd.Finally, Constellation Brands has launched a new wine under the Hardys Nottage Hill brand which is marketed asa dessert wine. This Shiraz-style red wine has an ABV of 17% and is said to be ideal for drinking with puddings,red fruits or chocolates, as well as with cheese or as an aperitif. This appears to be the first time Shiraz has been