WASHINGTON- Coca-Cola plans to launch its first ever alcoholic drink inJapan, in a suprising departure for a US company identified with cola andother non-alcoholic beverages.

While Coca-Cola dabbled in the wine business in the 1970s, the Japaneseexperiment is “unique” in the company’s 125-year history, said Coca-ColaJapan president Jorge Garduno.

The new offering will be in Japan’s growing “Chu-Hi” category of beverages,Garduno said in a recent interview posted to the company’s website.

“This is a canned drink that includes alcohol; traditionally, it is madewith a distilled beverage called shochu and sparkling water, plus someflavoring,” he said.

Chu-Hi drinks come in a range of flavors such as grape, strawberry, kiwiand white peach and sometimes replace shochu with vodka.

The drink, which usually has between three and nine percent alcohol and ismarketed by leading Japanese beverage companies such as Asahi, Kirin andTakara, is especially popular with young consumers and women.

“We haven’t experimented in the low alcohol category before, but it’s anexample of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our coreareas,” Garduno said.

But Garduno said the launch of Chu-Hi drinks should not be seen as aharbinger of the company’s intentions elsewhere.

“It makes sense to give this a try in our market,” he said.

“But I don’t think people around the world should expect to see this kindof thing from Coca-Cola. While many markets are becoming more like Japan, Ithink the culture here is still very unique and special, so many productsthat are born here will stay here.”

Still, the push is part of a broader campaign by Coca-Cola to diversifybeyond sodas at a time when consumers in the US and other developed marketsare backing off sweet drinks and diet colas out of health concerns.

Leading non-cola products in the company’s portfolio include Honest tea,Dasani bottled water, the flavored Vitamin Water and the Powerade sportsdrink.

Coca-Cola in 1977 sought to diversify into wine, purchasing Taylor Wines ofNew York and establishing Wine Spectrum that comprised Sterling Vineyardsand Monterey Vineyard.

But Coca-Cola exited the venture six years later, selling Spectrum for $200million. – Agencies