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Zima

Also known as Zima Clearmalt

Lasted

about 28 years

1993  →  December 2021

Cause of death
Killed by disaster
Made by
Coors Brewing Company

COVID-19 lockdowns collapsed Japan's bar and restaurant alcohol sales, and Zima's last remaining production ended there in December 2021.

Zima launched in 1993 into America's clear-product craze and was a David Letterman punchline by the end of 1994. MillerCoors stopped US production in October 2008, but Japan never got the joke: Zima sold there continuously for twenty-five years, across genders and age groups, often alongside dinner. COVID-19 lockdowns ended Japanese production in December 2021. It returned to Japanese shelves in 2023.

Standing in the archive

Rank 52 of 127 by lifespan. Zima outlasted 60% of everything else on file.

Cite this entry

"Zima." How Long It Lasted, https://www.howlongitlasted.com/thing/zima.

Died nearby

Sources

Last checked by a human on 24 July 2026