No.9076   2005. 3. 30

Suntory Introduces
New“ –196°C” CHU-HI in Lemon, Grapefruit, and Plum
- World's First –196°C Instant Freeze-Drying Sets New Standard for CHU-HI Beverages -

•New method for producing chu-hi beverages by soaking fruit instantly freeze-dried at –196°C in alcohol

Suntory Limited. announces the nationwide launch of new “–196°C” chu-hi beverages in three flavors from May 24th : Instant Freeze Lemon, Instant Freeze Grapefruit, Instant Freeze Plum – each available in 350ml and 500ml cans

•Instant Freeze-Drying Method
(1) Incorporates the entire fruit
To get the great flavor of the freshly squeezed chu-hi drinks that are so popular at Japanese bars and restaurants, the fragrant components contained within the fruit peel are essential. Suntory has been able to reproduce this with its new instant freeze-drying method, which incorporates the entire fruit to achieve the true flavor of real fruit in its new chu-hi lineup.

(2) Freeze-dried fruit soaked in liqueur
The fragrant components contained in the fruit peel are mostly oil soluble, making them difficult to mix with water. Instant freeze-drying turns the entire fruit into a powder, which is then soaked in alcohol to preserve every bit of delicious fruit flavor for Suntory's chu-hi drinks.

(3) Base spirits created without pasteurizing
Prepared by blending alcohol and fruit juice, canned chu-hi drinks are usually produced by subjecting ordinary fruit juice to heat pasteurization. Suntory's new method, however, uses base spirits created without the need for heat. Ensuring that none of the delicious fruit flavor is lost in production, this method gives Suntory chu-hi beverages an extraordinarily flavorful taste.

(4) Carefully selected and prepared base spirits
Suntory demands only the best in the fruits that go into its chu-hi beverages. The instant freeze-drying method allows each peace of fruit to be directly checked for quality and safety. To guarantee the best quality, every Suntory fruit purchase is examined with farm certification and production history.

— Details —

▼ Product Name, Volume, Suggested Retail Price (tax not included), Alcohol Content, Packaging

Product Name	Volume	Suggested Retail Price (tax not included)	Alcohol Content	Packaging
Suntory “ –196°C” CHU-HI (Instant Freeze Lemon)	350ml	140 yen	7%	Contains 24 cans
	500ml	190 yen
Suntory “ –196°C” CHU-HI (Instant Freeze Grapefruit)	350ml	140 yen	6%
	500ml	190 yen
Suntory “ –196°C” CHU-HI (Instant Freeze Plum)	350ml	140 yen	5%
	500ml	190 yen

*Any prices given here do not prevent retail shops from setting their own shelf prices.
*“Instant Freeze-Dry” trademark application in Japanese language is currently being processed.

▼ Type: Liquor

▼ Release date: Tuesday, May 24th, 2005

▼ Sales Region: Japan nationwide

▽ Further information:
　Suntory Ltd.
　(Osaka) TEL: 06-6346-0835
　Dojimahama 2-1-40, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-8203, Japan
　(Tokyo) TEL: 03-5579-1150
　Daiba 2-3-3, Minato-ku, Tokyo 135-8631, Japan
　Suntory HP:http://www.suntory.co.jp/