Carling revives Black Label name

Molson Coors is expanding the UK’s biggest lager brand with the launch of Carling Black Label, a new 4.7% ABV premium lager designed to trade drinkers up while tapping into nostalgia for one of the brand’s most recognisable historic names.

Rolling out nationwide from 16 March across grocery, wholesale and convenience, Carling Black Label has been developed as a fuller‑flavoured complement to the core Carling range.

Brewed in Burton‑on‑Trent using 100% British barley and cold‑filtered for a clean finish, the beer is positioned as a more intense, premium option for consumers seeking something above mainstream lager without leaving the Carling family.

The Black Label name will be familiar to long‑time drinkers: it was the brand’s UK identity until the late 1990s and still features in some international markets. Molson Coors is now bringing it back as a standalone product aimed at modern drinkers who want a trusted British brand with a richer flavour profile.

Carling remains the UK’s leading core lager, and Molson Coors says the new variant gives retailers a way to meet growing demand for trade‑up options linked to special occasions. Pack formats will include 4x568ml and 10x440ml.

Ryan McLaughlin, Carling brand director, said the launch “takes the brand into the future while honouring its heritage”, offering drinkers a new premium choice under a name many still remember. UK sales director Kevin Fawell added that the beer is designed to appeal both to those nostalgic for Black Label and those encountering it for the first time.

Beer sommelier Paul Rudge described the flavour profile as combining light appley notes on the nose with malt sweetness, more pronounced hop character and a rounded, bitter finish.

The launch will be backed by a consumer campaign spanning PR, social media and influencer activity.