Portman Group issues hard seltzer guidance Print The Portman Group , the social responsibility and regulatory body for alcohol in the UK, has issued guidance on hard seltzers after it found they confuse the majority of the UK population. The body commissioned research, carried out by YouGov, which reveals 93% of UK consumers had not heard of hard seltzers. In total, 21% of people had heard of at least one of ‘hard water’, ‘alcoholic sparkling water’ or ‘hard seltzer’. The survey shows understanding of the terms associated with alcoholic seltzers was highest in younger consumers aged 18-24. In addition, 68% of British consumers didn’t understand whether ‘hard’ was being used to convey either the alcoholic content, alcoholic strength, or both. Meanwhile, 64% of respondents did not feel the term was useful when used to indicate alcoholic content on soft drinks or alcoholic drinks.