Catalyst Spirits today announced it is entering the growing global Ready-To-Drink (RTD) market through its popular Howler Head brand – the original super premium banana-flavoured bourbon whiskey and the official flavoured bourbon of UFC®. Howler Head & Cola is now available in Australia and will soon be available in other international markets. In conjunction with the launch, Catalyst also announced former UFC middleweight champion and Australian native Robert Whittaker will serve as the fast-growing brand’s newest ambassador, helping to introduce Howler Head & Cola to his home country.
Howler Head & Cola is carefully crafted Straight Bourbon Whiskey made with the finest grains and mineral-rich water. After being aged for two years in charred American white oak barrels, the fine Bourbon is blended with natural banana flavour. Capitalizing on how the brand is enjoyed around the world, Howler Head is then perfectly mixed with rich cola, which is canned for convenient, refreshing enjoyment anywhere.
Howler Head & Cola is a delicious, effervescent drink with toasted caramel and coffee notes, complemented with aromatic, creamy, ripe natural banana flavour. The finish is rounded and smooth with a pleasing aroma of oak and banana.
Howler Head & Cola can be found at retailers across Australia in 4-packs of 330ml cans for a suggested price of AU$29. A 10-pack will follow later this year. Each can is 6% ABV. Howler Head & Cola is the official flavoured whiskey RTD of UFC Australia.
To amplify Howler Head & Cola’s worldwide unveiling, Catalyst Spirits has signed an agreement with UFC superstar Robert Whittaker to serve as a global brand ambassador for Howler Head, representing the brand in marketing campaigns, consumer meet and greets, retail appearances, exclusive event activations and engaging social media content on his channels, as well as those of Howler Head and UFC, which reaches more than 259 million followers worldwide.
Known as “The Reaper,” the 33-year-old Whittaker is an Australian native, born in Otahuhu. He currently trains in Smeaton Grange, NSW and is ranked #3 in UFC’s middleweight division. Whittaker has more than 2.3 million followers on social media.
“Outside the Octagon, Robert brings the ideal level of humour and fan-to-fan interactivity that is the perfect reflection of the Howler Head personae; his broad appeal will prove a huge catapult for brand awareness,” added Ed Bello, CMO of Catalyst Spirits. “Leveraging our partnership with UFC through their vast roster of world-class athletes provides us a marketing and promotional tool that is truly unmatched in its reach and engagement.”
Howler Head has quickly become one of the fastest-growing whiskey brands in the world due to its unique flavour profile and increasing popularity within the UFC community – a global phenomenon with more than 700 million fans worldwide. Howler Head expanded to Australia in February 2023 and has quickly gained country-wide distribution in the burgeoning local bourbon market. RTD sales by value in Australia are up +5.5% so far in 2024.
“I couldn’t be more excited to team up with Howler Head to help introduce this very cool brand to my native Australia and the rest of the world,” said Whittaker. “I absolutely love the one-two punch of bourbon and banana and can’t wait to share it with my friends and fans.”
The original Howler Head retails in the U.S. for $29.99 for a 750ml and Australia for AU$65 for a 700ml. It is also available in Canada, the U.K., Brazil and Mexico. Howler Head is managed by Catalyst Spirits with Campari Group holding a minority interest.
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