Liquid Death

Liquid Death is an American beverage brand operated by Supplying Demand, Inc. and headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded by graphic designer Mike Cessario, the company applies the visual language and attitude of heavy metal, punk rock, skate culture, and extreme sports to packaged water. Its name, skull imagery, tall aluminum cans, and slogan “Murder Your Thirst” intentionally contrast with the calm and health-oriented presentation traditionally associated with bottled water. Cessario has described the concept as originating in 2009, when he noticed concertgoers drinking water from energy-drink cans at a Vans Warped Tour. The observation suggested that water could be presented as a lifestyle product rather than merely a functional refreshment. Before launch, Cessario and partners tested the concept through a promotional video; the video attracted substantial online attention before the product was commercially available. The company filed a United States trademark application for Liquid Death in July 2017 and began selling directly to consumers through its website in January 2019. The brand’s early strategy focused on reaching consumers in music, nightlife, tattoo, barber, and alternative-culture settings. It subsequently broadened distribution through mainstream grocery, convenience, entertainment, and event channels. Whole Foods Market began carrying the brand in 2020, followed by a trial in selected 7-Eleven stores in Southern California. By late 2021, the products were also available through large grocery chains including Publix and Sprouts. A partnership with Live Nation further connected the brand with concerts and entertainment venues. Liquid Death’s original offer centered on still mountain water in aluminum cans. It later expanded into sparkling water, flavored sparkling water, and canned iced tea. Flavored sparkling products use natural flavorings and contain small amounts of agave-derived sugar, while the tea range has included agave nectar and caffeine. In early 2025, the addition of stevia to the teas generated negative reactions from some long-time consumers who objected to the sweeter taste and stevia aftertaste. The company has also explored digital collectibles through the Murder Head Death Club NFT project and has used music releases, celebrity partnerships, merchandise, and short-form comedy as extensions of its brand world. The company has financed expansion through venture rounds led or backed by Science Inc., Live Nation, and other investors. Publicly reported financing included seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, and later funding rounds. The company reported $263 million in retail sales for 2023, and a March 2024 financing reportedly valued it at $1.4 billion. These figures describe private-company financing or retail sales rather than public-company revenue disclosures. Production and sourcing have changed over time; by 2023, labeling indicated production in Virginia or Idaho rather than exclusively from Alpine sources. Liquid Death’s positioning combines sustainability claims about replacing single-use plastic bottles with a deliberately aggressive, humorous identity. Aluminum cans, a strong visual system, and a willingness to parody conventional beverage advertising have helped distinguish the brand in a crowded water market. Its product and marketing expansion show a strategy of turning a basic beverage into an entertainment-oriented consumer brand while retaining water as its central category. In July 2025, the company announced plans for a sugar-free energy-drink line targeted for January 2026, with 100 milligrams of caffeine per serving and four announced flavors.

Liquid Death originated with Mike Cessario’s observation at a 2009 Vans Warped Tour that concertgoers were drinking water from cans associated with energy drinks. He interpreted this as evidence that water could adopt the identity and cultural energy of a lifestyle brand. Cessario, a graphic designer from Delaware, developed the concept with three partners, including a bartender and an artist. The group considered alternative names before selecting Liquid Death, and Cessario filed a United States trademark application for the name on July 6, 2017. Before selling water, the company tested its positioning through a promotional video. The video attracted millions of views and helped establish the brand’s skull-based visual identity, dark humor, and anti-conventional tone. The early audience was associated with heavy metal, punk, straight-edge, skate, and alternative nightlife communities. Cessario also described the initial distribution ambition as a lifestyle play involving bars, tattoo parlors, and barber shops, rather than relying only on conventional grocery placement. Liquid Death began online sales in January 2019. It raised seed financing led by Science Inc. in 2019, followed by a $9 million Series A in February 2020 and a $23 million Series B in September 2020. In February 2020, Whole Foods Market began carrying the product in the United States. Later that year, the brand tested distribution in 7-Eleven stores in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. These moves helped it transition from an internet-driven novelty into a broadly distributed beverage. The company expanded through entertainment partnerships and grocery distribution. In May 2021, it raised $15 million in a round involving Live Nation, which said it would sell the product exclusively at its events and venues for a defined period. By December 2021, Liquid Death products were available in large supermarket chains including Publix and Sprouts. A further $75 million round announced in January 2022 was associated with a reported valuation of $525 million. In October 2022, the company raised another $70 million in a Science-led round at a reported $700 million valuation, though contemporary reporting questioned the significance of the valuation because the round was insider-led. Product development moved beyond still water. Sparkling water was introduced in 2020, followed by flavored varieties such as Mango Chainsaw, Severed Lime, Convicted Melon, and Berry It Alive. These products use natural flavorings and contain modest amounts of agave-derived sugar. In March 2023, the company announced three caffeinated tea flavors: Grim Leafer, Rest in Peach, and Dead Billionaire. The last was initially named Armless Palmer, but the name changed after Arizona Beverage Company threatened legal action relating to the use of “Palmer.” The brand has also treated marketing and entertainment as extensions of its product. In 2020, it released Greatest Hates, a death-metal album using lyrics drawn from online hate comments, followed by a punk-rock-oriented second album later that year. During Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, an advertisement showed children drinking Liquid Death while using Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law,” parodying alcohol advertising and ending with the message that the product was only water. The company additionally created the Murder Head Death Club NFT project and has used merchandise and cultural collaborations to deepen its identity. By 2023, the company’s cans indicated production in Bland, Virginia, or Mackay, Idaho, rather than an exclusive Alpine source. In March 2024, a $67 million financing round reportedly gave Liquid Death a $1.4 billion valuation, while the company reported $263 million in retail sales for 2023. In early 2025, changes to the tea formulation involving stevia prompted criticism from some established customers. In July 2025, Liquid Death announced a planned energy-drink launch for January 2026, with 100 milligrams of caffeine per can, no sugar, and no artificial sweeteners. This expansion illustrates the company’s continuing strategy of applying its distinctive brand system to adjacent beverage categories.

• 2024

  Reported $1.4 billion valuation

  [1]Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org

  A reported $67 million financing round placed the private company at a valuation of approximately $1.4 billion.

• 2022

  Reported valuation reaches $525 million

  [1]Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org

  A reported $75 million financing round was associated with a $525 million valuation.

• 2021

  Live Nation funding and venue partnership

  [1]Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org

  Live Nation participated in a $15 million funding round and announced a period of event and venue exclusivity.

• 2020

  Whole Foods and 7-Eleven expansion

  [1]Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org

  The brand entered Whole Foods nationally in the United States and tested distribution through selected 7-Eleven stores in Southern California.

• 2019

  Website sales begin

  [1]Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org

  Liquid Death began selling canned water directly to consumers in January.

• 2017

  Liquid Death trademark application filed

  [1]Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org

  Cessario filed a United States trademark application for the Liquid Death name.

• 2009

  Concept inspired by concert culture

  [1]Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org

  Mike Cessario developed the initial concept after seeing concertgoers consume water from energy-drink cans at a Vans Warped Tour.

Premium and youth-oriented packaged beverages presented through rebellious, humorous, heavy-metal-inspired branding, with aluminum packaging and anti-plastic messaging.

• Still water · 2019

  Liquid Death Still Water

  The original core product is still drinking water sold in aluminum beverage cans rather than conventional plastic bottles. Available can formats have included 12-fluid-ounce, 16.9-fluid-ounce tallboy, and 19.2-fluid-ounce sizes. The product uses the brand’s skull graphics, dark humor, and “Murder Your Thirst” positioning to turn ordinary packaged water into a visible lifestyle accessory.

• Sparkling water · 2020

  Liquid Death Sparkling Water

  Introduced in 2020, the unflavored sparkling range extends the original canned-water proposition into carbonated water. It retains the aluminum packaging and aggressive visual identity of the still-water line while providing a direct alternative to conventional canned seltzer and bottled sparkling water.

• Flavored sparkling water · 2020

  Liquid Death Flavored Sparkling Water

  The flavored sparkling portfolio includes names such as Mango Chainsaw, Severed Lime, Convicted Melon, and Berry It Alive. Unlike the unflavored seltzer, these beverages use natural flavorings or extracts, natural acidulants, and added agave-derived sugar. Reported products contain approximately 20 calories per serving, placing them closer to lightly sweetened soft drinks than to zero-calorie seltzer.

• 2022Super Bowl LVI “Don’t Be Scared” advertisement

  United States

  The Super Bowl commercial presented children enjoying Liquid Death while Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law” played. It parodied the visual conventions of alcohol advertising and concluded by emphasizing that the beverage was water.

  Outcome. The campaign increased the brand’s mainstream visibility while preserving its shock-humor positioning.

  Source
• 2020Greatest Hates

  Online · United States

  The company released a death-metal album built from lyrics derived from hostile comments posted about the brand online. A second, punk-rock-oriented album followed later in the year.

  Outcome. The campaign converted online criticism into branded entertainment and reinforced Liquid Death’s confrontational voice.

  Source
• 2017Pre-launch promotional video

  United States · Online

  Liquid Death used a deliberately extreme promotional video to test consumer interest before the product was available. The video reportedly attracted millions of views and helped establish the brand’s irreverent heavy-metal-inspired identity.

  Outcome. The campaign generated early awareness and helped validate the concept before commercial launch.

  Source

• 2025

  Planned launch of energy drinksProduct launch

  Background

  The company identified energy drinks as an adjacent category but positioned the planned products as containing a comparatively moderate amount of caffeine.

  Action taken

  Liquid Death announced a January 2026 energy range with 100 milligrams of caffeine per serving, no sugar, and no artificial sweeteners.

  Aftermath

  The announcement extended the brand’s product architecture beyond water, although launch results were not available in the reference material.

  Source

• 2023

  Entry into caffeinated teaProduct launch

  Background

  Liquid Death pursued beverage categories beyond water while retaining its distinctive naming and packaging system.

  Action taken

  The company announced three tea flavors: Grim Leafer, Rest in Peach, and Dead Billionaire.

  Aftermath

  The tea range broadened the company’s beverage scope but later faced consumer criticism over a stevia formulation change.

  Source

• 2023

  Change of tea product nameOther

  Background

  The tea later marketed as Dead Billionaire was originally called Armless Palmer, using wording associated with the Arnold Palmer beverage name.

  Action taken

  The company changed the name after Arizona Beverage Company threatened to sue over commercial use of “Palmer.”

  Aftermath

  The product continued under the Dead Billionaire name.

  Source

• 2020

  Expansion from still water into sparkling waterProduct launch

  Background

  The brand initially centered on still water but sought adjacent beverage occasions and a broader presence in the canned-water market.

  Action taken

  Liquid Death introduced an unflavored sparkling-water variety and subsequently developed flavored carbonated products.

  Aftermath

  The move established sparkling water as a major product pillar alongside the original still-water line.

  Source

1. 1Liquid Deathen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Liquid Death official websiteliquiddeath.com