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Article Hard Orange Crush Is Citrus With A Kick

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Are you a fan of fizzy orange? Australia’s oldest operating distillery has delivered another new twist on a nostalgic flavour with the launch of Hard Orange Crush.

Made with real Australian orange juice and clocking in at 4.5% ABV, the new ready-to-drink (RTD) is vibrant, zesty and destined to be a firm favourite in the fruity premix category.

Beenleigh hard orange premix alcoholic drink.
Make room in the fridge. Image: supplied

A full-flavoured premix

Hard Orange Crush is described as having a light and citrusy aroma with notes of sherbet and soft fizz. The palette is smooth with a citrus tang, and the finish is clean and refreshing.

The new addition to the premix lineup follows the runaway success of Beenleigh’s Pineapple Crush, which was one of the top three RTD launches in bottle shops in recent times.

“We saw a clear opportunity to create something nostalgic yet fresh — a throwback flavour with mainstream appeal. Orange is one of Australia’s most-loved soft drink flavours, yet barely touched in RTDs. We crushed it with Pineapple, and with Hard Orange Crush, we’re confident we can crush it again.”

Will Sullivan, Beenleigh Distillery
Beenleigh Hard Orange Crush.
Made with real Aussie oranges. Image: Instagram/beenleighrumdistillers

A zesty move into citrus territory

Flavoured premixes make up over half of all RTD sales in Australia, with citrus one of the fastest-growing flavours and accounting for 50% of all sales. Surprisingly, orange (a soft drink staple) has barely made a splash in the RTD world, but Beenleigh is changing that.

“We see this as a strategic move into a space that’s been overlooked for too long,” added Sullivan. “With Hard Orange Crush, we’re bringing something new to shelf, recruiting the next generation of drinkers, and reinforcing that Beenleigh isn’t just participating in this category — we’re leading it.”

Will Sullivan, Beenleigh Distillery

The proportion of Australians reaching for RTDs increased from 48% to 55% in 2024. And with 9% growth in the 55+ demographic, it’s very clear that the convenient sips appeal to all ages.

Hard Orange Crush is available online at Beenleigh and will roll out into select bottle shops this month.

Are you a fan of RTDs? Tell us your favourite flavour in the comments below!

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Comments

  • Looks good something

  • I think these will be super popular at parties, especially in summer.

  • Oooh I will have to keep an eye out for these! I hope they are as good as they sound. Always looking for something new to try especially fruity ones. These sound very refreshing. Also having a light fizz is a bonus, Im not a huge fan of RTDs as they are usually over sweet with the flavors and always looking for the more natural flavors.

  • I admit I’m not a fan of RTD or soft drinks but I’ll always try a new product that comes out because I’m always happy to be proven wrong.
    If the balance between the citrus and sweetness is right this could be a great drink to share with friends over summer

  • I’ll keep an eye out for this RTD when I go to the bottle shop. I love orange fizzy drinks and this is one I would like to try.

  • This sounds delicious, perfect for hot summer days. It would be great with a BBQ and hopefully similar to the hard solo which is a winner. Citrus flavours are always good with alcohol in my opinion, this might be a fun base of a cocktail too, might have to get crafty.

  • Can’t wait to try this!! I hope it is light and similar flavour to an orange sunrise type drink, not too over powering with the orange flavour. The hard solo is delicious so thinking we will be in for a treat on this one too. Can not wait for this one

  • I really like the Hard Solos, so I reckon this one will be a great ready to drink addition to the market too. I love that it’s using real orange juice, maybe making it a little less sugary? So long as the alcohol content is enough it will be a hit with me!

  • This sounds like a lovely drink. Orange crush is such an iconic, classic Aussie flavour favourite so I’m sure it will be a hit. I absolutely love that they are using Aussie oranges, I’ll always get behind a brand using local produce. I haven’t tried the pineapple, but I’ll now be on the look out for both.

  • Oohh this one sounds interesting!! I wonder if it would taste anything similar to an aperol spritz. Definitely love seeing more citrus drinks come into the market lately. I feel like lemon has been done so much recently and im loving seeing more orange now coming through! Definitely new and exciting

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