Launched in mid-2021, Island’s Edge was aimed at 18-35-year-olds who did not traditionally drink stout
Heineken Ireland is reportedly axing the production of Island’s Edge stout following a multimillion-euro marketing campaign aimed at converting drinkers in a country where Diageo’s Guinness has long held the number-one spot. Launched two years ago, the stout aimed to capture 10 per cent of the stout market, by focusing on young people aged between 18-35.
Heineken Ireland is understood to have ceased selling the product to publicans, who according to Irish Times reporting have reportedly registered little interest in the product from customers.
The stout was developed following heavy product testing, with tea and basil extract added to the brew in an attempt to reduce the bitter aftertaste often associated with stout. The promotional slogan of “unexpectedly refreshing” was used to reflect a sense of refreshment caused by the reduction of that potent taste.
The drink was soft-launched in 300 venues in Dublin in July 2021, before being rolled out to supermarkets and off-licences before being officially launched in September 2021. The high-profile event involved guests boarding a boat down the Liffey to visit an open-air festival event at Dublin’s Docklands (an Island’s Edge in itself), featuring food, music and entertainment.
In recent marketing materials circulated in 2022, the slogan “it’s better, not bitter” was used to describe the brew.
Alongside Orchard Thieves, Moretti, Coors, Tiger and Murphy’s Red, Heineken already owns two stouts, following the acquisition of Beamish in 2008 and Murphy’s which it purchased in 1983. Heineken is the country’s best-selling lager, according to estimates holding an 8% share of the market.
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