Nick Gillett: Flavoured spirits – top tipples or faddy favourites?

Flavour. When it comes to food and drink – it’s the most important thing. As a producer, you can be entirely carbon neutral, use the finest ingredients, have the sharpest packaging – but if your liquid isn’t up to scratch, you won’t last long. But beyond that, producers are now using flavours to expand their ranges, tap into new markets, and attract new demographics of drinkers to their brands. As a man who has sampled thousands of liquids and has reasonably good taste (although I’m sure my colleagues might not agree, especially when it comes to taste in music or fashion!) here’s my reckonings about flavour trends in the spirits industry.

Champagne Day 2023: Recovery for the world’s top sparkler

Champagne appears to be holding onto its status as everyone’s favourite premium sparkling wine, new figures reveal, as the category continues an export drive dating back more than 20 years.

Chile ramps up focus on innovation at London tasting

First time visitors to this year’s Wines of Chile annual tasting in London could be forgiven for thinking that this is a country in a permanent state of evolution, often operating at the fringes of established viticulture to drive a rolling agenda of innovation.

Friday read: Can sustainability and luxury co-exist?

Ecommerce and premium offer opportunities in ‘challenging’ wine market

The latest analyses of the global wine market by IWSR offers some positives, though set against the prediction that the trend to drink less and drink less often will continue.

Jascots marks growth of premium range

Jascots Wine Merchants has recorded strong results for 2022, laying growth at the door of new business and an ongoing focus on range premiumisation.

Rioja's white exports grow, but overall market dips

The growth of Rioja’s white wines is paying dividends for the region in the export market, finally making good on a promise that the DO is able to diversify its portfolio abroad. However, things are looking a little less rosy globally in 2022, with uncertainty in various key markets leading exports to take a tumble.

Friday read: The big spending squeeze – are your brands ready?

Yvette Flower, strategic planner at ZEAL Creative, looks at the future of premium beer, wine and spirits sales, and how brands can insulate against the rising tide of inflation.  

Demand for super-premium wine and spirits heading for potential slump in US

A new report issued by Rabobank, the multinational banking and financial services company, has examined the potential for a looming US recession to shrink the hitherto booming market for luxury brands.

Tequila’s star continues to rise as supermarkets sales double

Tequila is stealing a march on other spirits categories, with an impressive 94% growth spurt in two years underpinning the rise of the Mexican spirit in the UK.

Fever-tree bar Edinburgh airport

FEVER-TREE BAR EDINBURGH AIRPORT

The drinks trend casualties in the cost-of-living crisis

As we hover on the edge of a possible recession, with inflation reaching a 40-year year high in June, it’s no surprise that UK consumers are tightening their belts.

DTC sales give Gusbourne post-pandemic boost

The latest financial results from English wine producer Gusbourne have reinforced the strong position of the category within the UK market.

The Rum Renaissance: Is Rum the new Gin?

A report by Campari Group UK explains why rum is a key growth area in the on and off-trade, as the category plays into central consumer and shopper trends influencing the market.

Raising the flag for Argentina

Looking back on Malbec’s ascent, it has followed quite a remarkable trajectory, delivering for Argentina the kind of hero grape recognition that perhaps only New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc can rival. In most of its markets, though, Malbec has firmly embedded itself a couple of notches above entry-level, typically with only a handful of rarefied listings on a more premium perch. In some ways, it’s a story reminiscent of Rioja’s, with the wines providing ample pleasure, accessibility and quality for just a small number of pounds above the entry-level.

Yuletide cheer

With supply and delivery issues forcing indies to be nimble and imaginative for the Christmas rush, Andrew Catchpole asked a trio of merchants how they prepared for the festive sales spike in such an unpredictable year.

31 Dover rebrands as SPIRIT.ED

Premium drinks company 31 Dover has changed its trading name to SPIRIT.ED.

Q&A: Ray Nadeson, Lethbridge Wines

From straw building to solar power by way of highly sustainable viticulture, Australian winery Lethbridge’s driving force, Ray Nadeson, talks premium wines and primordial soup with Andrew Catchpole.

Liberty report: Reversal of off/on-trade trends buffers hospitality recovery

Liberty Wines’ latest report has noted the positive effect of the reversal of the trends from the on to the off-trade over the course of the pandemic, with the growth in popularity of independent wine retailers during lockdown and an overall move towards experimentation feeding back into the on-trade and helping to boost sales.

English and welsh producers celebrate end to sparkling ‘Super tax’

The news that the duty premium on sparkling wine being sold in the UK has been removed has been met with encouragement from the English and Welsh wine sector.