Is Zima Discontinued? What Happened?
Fate: Zima stopped selling in the U.S. in 2008 after years of declining sales. It came back for limited runs in 2017 and 2018, and it returned in Japan in 2023 through a new brewing partnership.
Zima arrived in 1993 in a frosty clear bottle with a tagline that leaned into the weirdness: Zomething Different. Coors backed it with a $50 million marketing campaign and a clear, lightly citrus malt formula that tasted like nothing else on the shelf at the time.
It sold fast. By the end of 1994, Zima had moved 1.2 million barrels and become a genuine pop-culture moment. Then David Letterman got hold of it. His repeated on-air mockery turned Zima into a punchline practically overnight. He called it liquid polymer, he compared it to cleaning products, and he kept going until the joke stuck. Sales dropped sharply even as the initial buzz was still going.
The beverage aisle got crowded too. Smirnoff Ice launched in 1999 and grabbed a big chunk of the audience Zima had been chasing. By 2008, Coors wound down U.S. production entirely.
One thing a lot of people remember doing with Zima was dropping a Jolly Rancher into the bottle. The candy would dissolve slowly, turning the drink sweeter and giving it a fruit flavor hit that the original lacked. It was a workaround that spread by word of mouth and became part of how a lot of people actually drank it.
The nostalgia held. Zima came back as a limited release in summer 2017 and again in 2018, and both runs sold out. The liquid tasted like the original, the packaging leaned into the 1990s aesthetic, and people who remembered it from backyard parties and summer road trips bought it up fast.
Outside the U.S., Zima had an entirely different life. It launched in Japan in 1996 and stayed on shelves for over 25 years, showing up in convenience stores and vending machines without any of the cultural baggage it carried back home. Supply disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic ended it in Japan by late 2021, but it came back in 2023 through a partnership with Hakutsuru Sake Brewing.
Timeline
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1993–1994
- David Letterman's repeated on-air mockery turns Zima into a punchline. He calls it liquid polymer and compares it to cleaning products. Brand perception drops sharply even as initial sales are still strong.
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1993
- June — National U.S. launch of Zima Clearmalt by Coors as a clear, citrusy malt beverage with $50 million marketing campaign and 'Zomething Different' tagline.
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1994
- December — Zima peaks at 1.2 million barrels sold and becomes a defining 1990s pop-culture touchstone. Sales begin a steep decline shortly after as the Letterman mockery and a crowded market take hold.
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1995–1996
- Zima Gold, an amber-colored variant aimed at a broader audience, launches in spring 1995 but is pulled by early 1996 after a lukewarm reception.
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1996
- Zima launches in Japan, where it proves far more popular than in its home market, appealing to both genders across age groups.
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1996–2021
- Japan: Zima maintains continuous availability for 25+ years, becoming a stable product across retailers, vending machines, and convenience stores (unlike its U.S. trajectory).
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1999–2000
- Smirnoff Ice launches and grabs a large share of the market Zima had been building. Zima's position continues eroding as competitors fill the shelves.
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2000–2008
- Zima's sales continue falling as the market fills with hard lemonades, craft beer, and other malt alternatives. The brand fades from mainstream shelves into niche territory.
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2008
- October — MillerCoors winds down Zima production and distribution in the U.S. after sales fell to 0.5% of the malt beverage market.
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2017
- June — Limited summer revival in the U.S.; MillerCoors brings Zima back to capitalize on 1990s nostalgia; demand exceeds expectations and inventory sells out by September.
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2018
- May — Second limited-time U.S. return with 40% more inventory than 2017; brand again receives strong nostalgic interest before ending release by fall.
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2021
- December — Japan: Coors ends operations; Zima discontinuation due to COVID-19 pandemic supply chain disruptions and bar/restaurant sales collapse.
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2023
- Japan: Zima returns through partnership with Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co. (280-year-old sake producer); production shifts to domestic Japanese manufacturing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Zima?
Zima stopped selling in the U.S. in 2008 after years of declining sales. It came back for limited runs in 2017 and 2018, and it returned in Japan in 2023 through a new brewing partnership.
When did Zima close?
Zima closed in 2008. Zima stopped selling in the U.S. in 2008 after years of declining sales. It came back for limited runs in 2017 and 2018, and it returned in Japan in 2023 through a new brewing partnership.
Is Zima still in business?
Zima has been discontinued or significantly changed. Zima stopped selling in the U.S. in 2008 after years of declining sales. It came back for limited runs in 2017 and 2018, and it returned in Japan in 2023 through a new brewing partnership.
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