Company: GlaxoSmithKline
Rsp: 500ml/£1.10
Competition: Red Bull Cola, Coca-Cola, Pepsi
The sell: The new drink, which will not be so firmly associated with sport as other variants, will help to expand the appeal of the Lucozade Energy brand

The Consumer
This tastes like ordinary cola, but still gives you the energy you expect from the Lucozade brand. The packaging stands out and would definitely catch my eye –you can instantly tell it is Lucozade by the design of the bottle. For those reasons I am sure the drink will appeal to consumers who are already Lucozade fans and may even draw new consumers to the brand. I will definitely buy this again and would recommend it to friends. Four stars (out of five)
Thom Brooks, gardener, West Sussex

The Expert
This is an interesting departure for Lucozade, attractively packaged in black and silver and flashed as a limited-edition, although I’m sure that if this variant is successful it would swiftly become part of the permanent range. The flavour is rather reminiscent of confectionery cola bottles and far too sweet for my taste, and each 500ml bottle contains 56g of sugar, although I do appreciate that this is an energy drink. I think this product will have limited appeal and not stay the course. Three stars
Tina Hird, trading controller, Spar

The Grocer
Surprisingly for an energy drink this actually has a pleasant, natural flavour. It won’t compete with Coca-Cola in this regard but it is clear GSK has thought long and hard about not compromising on taste in order to deliver that energy boost, which is where many of its rivals fall down. The look is also cool and simple, making this a potentially significant and exciting addition to the energy drinks category. Four stars
Ronan Hegarty, news editor

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