Given the task definition and input, reply with output. In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.

With its iconic red label and secret recipe, it’s been one of the world’s most famous soft drinks for more than a century. Now, however, Coca-Cola is on the brink of a new chapter – with plans to launch its first alcoholic drink. 
  
 The company is currently experimenting with the creation of a popular type of Japanese alcopop known as Chu-Hi, containing distilled shochu alcohol mixed with flavoured carbonate water. 
  
 The low alcohol canned drink will be launched in Japan, home to a thriving if competitive industry, with countless Chu-Hi flavoured drinks – from kiwi to yuzu - sitting on convenience store shelves across the country. 
  
 Confirming the plan in an interview on the company’s website, Jorge Garduño, Coca-Cola’s Japan president, said: “This is a canned drink that includes alcohol; traditionally, it is made with a distilled beverage called shochu and sparkling water, plus some flavouring. We haven’t experimented in the low alcohol category before, but it’s an example of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our core areas.” 
  
 Highlighting how “unique” this venture was for the company, Mr Garduño, who did not specify a timeline for the new product, added: “Coca-Cola has always focused entirely on non-alcoholic beverages, and this is a modest experiment for a specific slice of our market. ||||| For decades, Coca-Cola ’s business in Japan has stood out as an almost truly unique market. An outsider who visits for the first time sees a place with a seemingly wild array of options across the beverage landscape. 
  
 But as Coca-Cola continues to evolve as a total beverage company, something interesting is happening: The rest of the world is starting to look a little more like Japan. The U.S. market now has a dizzying array of beverages and is growing all the time. Products like kombucha and drinking vinegars are gradually going mainstream. 
  
 Of course, Japan still has some characteristics all its own. It has a heavy focus on the convenience channel, and vending is bigger there than anywhere else in the world. Some beverage categories that are big in Japan barely exist anywhere else. 
  
 To learn more about Japan, we talked to Jorge Garduño, president of Coca-Cola ’s Japan business unit. Garduño has been with the company since 1992, working in many areas of the world. He’s been in charge of the Japanese business since July 2017, working in close partnership with the local bottling system. 
  
 There are so many new products and programs launching in Japan in any given year. What factors in the market drive the need for constant innovation? 
  
 The Japanese market is incredibly dynamic, fiercely competitive and rooted in innovation. Because of this, our team is constantly looking at ways to experiment – both from a product standpoint and finding new ways to do business with our customers. Consumers here look for variety and want to experiment. We also have categories that are much bigger here than in most of the world – like tea, for example. Ready-to-drink coffee is also an enormous business, and we have the leading brand in Georgia coffees. In the fourth quarter of 2017 alone, we ran dozens of new, key initiatives and programs, from launching new bottle designs to testing new products and flavors. This is how it is all the time. 
  
 How do you see this approach supporting the company’s overall strategy? 
  
 For one thing, it sets a great example for others. We’re always looking for new ways to reach and please consumers, and a big part of that is introducing them to new products that we think they will love. We’re seeing more of this in other parts of the world, too, and it’s encouraging to see our portfolio expanding with new products and successful brands. Some of the learnings here also influence what happens across the Coca-Cola system. For example, Japan is home to a research hub that specializes in tea and coffee, and products developed here are introduced around the world. We also have a concept here called FOSHU, which means Food for Specified Health Uses. This is a government-approved certification for products with health benefits. We’ve been having a lot of success with these products, like Coca-Cola with fiber, which we call Coca-Cola Plus. Japan has an aging population, and these products appeal to those consumers. Coca-Cola Plus might remain only in Japan, but functional beverages are certainly growing in popularity in much of the world. 
  
 James Quincey has talked often about the idea of experimenting more and being willing to fail quickly, learn and move on. Do you have any examples of that in Japan? 
  
 The Japan business unit launches an average of 100 new products a year, and many times more are put to the test behind the scenes. Experimentation is almost like a day-to-day ritual here. You can’t fall behind the rapid product cycle in Japan, so we’re always seeking innovation opportunities to deliver fun surprises for consumers. 
  
 We’re well into 2018 now. What new products do you anticipate coming to the market? 
  
 We’re trying to push the boundaries to serve consumers in new ways. Ayataka is a tea brand that has done really well. We’re introducing a flavor this year that creates a new option for consumers who prefer light taste yet still want to enjoy the richness of green tea. In the sparkling category, we’re introducing THE TANSAN, which features the strongest carbonation ever in our products in this country, to reach health conscious adult sparkling lovers. We’re also going to experiment with a product in a category known in Japan as Chu-Hi. This is a canned drink that includes alcohol; traditionally, it is made with a distilled beverage called shōchū and sparkling water, plus some flavoring. We haven’t experimented in the low alcohol category before, but it’s an example of how we continue to explore opportunities outside our core areas. 
  
 Has Coke used the same approach before? ||||| The last few years have been good to regional specialties as interest in all things food and travel continues to grow and the world increasingly becomes a smaller place. I recently wrote here at Forbes.com about the booming popularity of Japanese whisky, a topic that has been getting a lot of press. Thanks to the growing popularity of cocktails like caipirinhas, more Americans than ever have tried Brazil’s cachaca, while Peru’s pisco has enjoyed a similar run. So what’s left for the adventurous spirit drinker to try? 
  
 Shochu. 
  
 Shochu is the national spirit of Japan, and while most Americans’ first free association of alcohol and Japan will be sake, shochu is more popular and has outsold sake in Japan for the past decade. Still, the two have a lot of similarities, and while shochu fans and producers like to remind everyone who will listen that shochu and sake are two very different things, the easiest way to describe the spirit is as a spirit that tastes sort of like sake. Sake is confusing enough, because it is almost always described as rice wine, but it is actually brewed, more like rice beer than rice wine (it also is not usually called sake in Japan, but rather nihonshu or seishu). It has far more alcohol than either wine or beer, usually around 30-35 proof, though still much less than hard liquor. 
  
 Shochu on the other hand is a distilled spirit, most akin to vodka in the sense that it is typically clear and can be made from different raw materials, unlike most spirits (bourbon from corn, rum from sugar cane, etc.), and is most often distilled from barley, rice, sweet potatoes, or buckwheat. More than half of all shochu is made from barley, the top choice. The production process is far more complex than vodka’s however, and there are myriad styles of shochu based on whether it is distilled once or multiple times, there is shochu fermented with mold, there are shochus aged in wood, and so on. Shochu is on the weak side for a distilled spirit as far as alcohol, at only about 60 proof, which also makes it easier to drink and much lower in calories (it contains zero sugar and has about a quarter of the calories per ounce of vodka). 
  
 I recently tasted samples of two versions from Iichiko, which has been Japan’s best-selling shochu producer for the past 30 years or so (and means “it is good”). Iichiko makes about ten different shochus (four of which are sold in the US), all from barley, and like sake, the difference has a lot to do with the amount each grain is polished before distillation. One of their versions is among the top 25 bestselling spirits in the world, ahead of household named such as Baileys and Ballantines. As you read on, it is important to remember that the flavor of shochu will vary greatly based on what starch it is made from, so if you try a sweet potato version it will likely not taste like the barley ones I had. Also, while I have had shochu in Japan, and more recently at my desk, I have barely scratched the surface and am certainly no expert. However, the ones I just tasted are among the most readily available versions here in the US. 
  
 I tried Iichiko’s entry level Silhouette (around $23), which had a very pronounced sake-like taste, as if it has been made from rice, only stronger and richer. If you like sake you will really like Silhouette, and like sake, it pairs very well with food, which is not common for spirits, though it is one of the hallmarks of shochu. I would recommend it highly, it is something very different to try, something that would be great to serve (and surprise) dinner guests, especially with spicier cuisine, and it is also a great value. Not surpassingly, shochu is very popular in traditional Japanese pubs, or izakaya, where casual dining and drinking go hand in hand. 
  
 Iichiko Frasco ($70) is the company’s top of the line ultra-premium, Shochu, and it was recently awarded the Chairman’s Trophy at the 2013 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, founded by F. Paul Pacult, arguably the nation’s top spirits authority. The Frasco scored 94 points, the highest of any shochu, and it was the first time a shochu has ever taken the trophy. Personally I liked the Silhouette better because it really has a pronounced taste, whereas the most used word by critics describing the Frasco is “smoothness.” It is very smooth, a trait highly regarded in the world of shochu, but (to me) not as deep or interesting as the Silhouette. In addition to pairing very well with food, shochu is highly versatile and routinely consumed neat, on the rocks, or mixed with hot or cold water. It also goes into a lot of fruit based cocktails and even tea. 
  
 If you are someone who is always looking forward to trying new things, give it a whirl. If you have trouble finding it at the liquor store, you might have more success in better Japanese restaurants. 
  
 Follow Me on Twitter Here ||||| Coca-Cola will soon be giving Japanese consumers a new kind of buzz. 
  
 In a departure from its traditional soda business, Coke (KO) plans to launch an alcoholic drink in Japan this year. It's trying to get in on the growing market for "chu-hi" -- canned, flavored drinks typically made with sparkling water and shochu, a Japanese spirit distilled from grains. 
  
 The new drink is a "highly Japan-specific approach given the complexity and richness" of Coke's range of products in the country, Coke spokesperson Yohko Okabe told CNN on Wednesday. 
  
 The company declined to give further details on the plans, but in a recent blog post, the president of Coca-Cola Japan said the drink would be "unique" in Coke's history. 
  
 "We haven't experimented in the low alcohol category before," Jorge Garduño said in the post. 
  
 The storied soft drinks company is set to enter a crowded market. Big Japanese beverage makers like Kirin (KNBWY) and Suntory (STBFY) already produce popular "chu-hi" drinks. 
  
 Related: Coca-Cola's new CEO: 'We've got to experiment' 
  
 Brewing up an alcoholic beverage is just Coke's latest Japanese experiment. 
  
 The country is one of the company's most competitive and fast changing markets. It says it launches about 100 new products there every year. 
  
 Other big global brands have tried unusual things to cater to Japanese consumers' palates. Nestlé opened a factory last year in Japan to meet the growing demand for weirdly flavored KitKat bars. 
  
 Coke has dabbled in alcohol in the past, buying wine businesses in the US in the 1970s. That foray was widely seen as a failure, and it quit the wine industry a few years later. 
  
 Related: The world's most valuable liquor company is now Chinese 
  
 But CEO James Quincey has said the company needs to experiment beyond its classic soda brands. 
  
 Some drinks it created specifically for Japanese consumers have found success in other markets. 
  
 Few Americans have heard of Aquarius (a sports drink), Georgia Coffee (a canned coffee drink) or Sokenbicha (a blended tea drink), yet Coke says that each of those concoctions created for the Japanese market has generated global sales of $1 billion or more in the past five years. 
  
 Coke fans outside of Japan hoping for a stiffer drink from the company shouldn't get their hopes up, though. 
  
 "I don't think people around the world should expect to see this kind of thing from Coca-Cola," Garduño said of the planned "chu-hi" drink. 
  
 But in an interview with CNN last month, Quincey left open the possibility of introducing alcohol in the US one day. 
  
 "Never say never," he said. |||||

Coke: the pause that intoxicates. At least in Japan, where the Coca-Cola Co. will now offer a boozy carbonated beverage called Chu-Hi. The Telegraph reports this "alcopop" will be made up of fizzy water, flavoring, and a distilled Japanese alcohol called shochu, which Forbes has described as "the national spirit of Japan"—even more popular than sake. "We haven't experimented in the low-alcohol category before," Jorge Garduno, president of the company's Japan division, said in an interview on Coca-Cola's website last month, calling the drink a "modest experiment." CNNMoney notes Coca-Cola will be joining the ranks of two other big companies in Japan pouring chu-hi-style drinks: Suntory and Kirin. Liquor lovers in the US shouldn't get too excited, though. Garduno says the "unique and special" circumstances of the Japanese market mean the company's alcoholic offerings likely won't make an appearance overseas anytime soon. "Many products that are born here will stay here," he notes. And there are lots of Coke products born there: CNN notes that 100 or so new Coke products get a test-drive in Japan each year.