Lay's is getting into the specialty liquor game with a new potato vodka for the holiday season.
The Pepsico-owned (PEP) brand unveiled the limited-edition booze on Thursday, in an effort to deliver "new and innovative ways to bring joy and fun" to fans, according to Melissa Miranda, Frito-Lay North America's senior director of marketing.
The 750 milliliter bottle, made in collaboration with Portland-based Eastside Distilling, contains a blend of Portland Potato Vodka and vodka distilled from Lay’s proprietary potatoes. It was available for purchase on the distillery's website for $40 a bottle, but sold out by Thursday afternoon.
"This launch comes just in time for the holidays so our fans who are 21 years old and over can enjoy Lay’s in an exciting, brand-new way at their get-togethers, or can gift Lay’s Vodka to the Lay’s fan in their lives," Miranda told Yahoo Finance.
This is the latest brand to introduce a product-based alcoholic beverage, as Americans plan to indulge more than ever this holiday season.
According to a recent survey from Diageo — behind brands like Guinness, Ciroc and Smirnoff — a whopping 81% of respondents said they plan to do at least one thing "in excess," or more than they usually do this holiday season. Meanwhile, 40% of Millennials confess they'd be "ashamed" if others knew they were drinking more than they should, compared to Gen Z (23%), Gen X (37%), and Boomers, 33%.
Eager to tap into this indulgent nature that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, brands are jumping onto the trend with unique, limited-edition treats.
Most recently, Oreo Thins (MDLZ) and Barefoot Wines introduced a "a new grown up pairing" that included two bottles of wine and one package of Oreo Thin cookies.
In November, fast food chain Arby's announced a release of a limited-edition Curly Fry and Crinkle Fry Vodka. Separately, Kraft-Heinz's (KHC) Grey Poupon introduced a limited-edition wine from the south of France, which sold out in just one day in October.
And it's not just liquor: brands like Hershey's Reese's won over consumers with its Thanksgiving Pie, which sold out almost immediately. When asked if Frito-Lay will continue to do limited-edition collaborations like this, Miranda insisted it's not completely out of the question.
"You never know what future plans we have up our sleeves! We love to keep our fans guessing as to what is coming next.”
Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.
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