Spirits of Virtue relaunch targets UK thirst for quality low & no

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 17 July, 2023

Scottish zero-alcohol producer Spirits of Virtue has completed a ‘redevelopment and relaunch’ project with the aim of boosting the reach of its recently expanded portfolio.

Launched in 2018 by brothers Roddy and Kerr Nicoll, the company now produces 24 ‘non-alcoholic equivalents’ to the major spirits categories, staking a claim as the widest such portfolio in the UK.

Having successfully targeted markets including Australia and the Gulf States, the company is now honing in on the UK, also with ambitions for wider international growth.

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The portfolio, which typically features several variants under each spirit-aligned brand, has been redeveloped and extended with the help of a team of experts, including consultant (and Harpers contributor) Angela Mount and creative designer Alex Bontoft.

“We have watched the low & no sector evolve and change rapidly, it's constantly moving, and we are all still learning and discovering – it's like the Wild West. Our vision was, and is, to create the best portfolio in the market, across the entire portfolio, with the best product, the best packaging, the best provenance,” said CEO Roddy Nicoll.

“We are in the lucky position of being a small and entrepreneurial company that can adapt swiftly to market trends and the evolution of the sector. Our aim is to be both evolutionary and revolutionary. We can be swift and disruptively nimble in an ever-changing market.”

Products within the portfolio are marketed under separate brands and draw on water from the Cairngorm Mountains, which filters through granite rock, using only natural flavourings, also being vegan certified, low in sugar/calories and halal certified.

The current offer includes: Glen Dochus, a range of five non-alcoholic whisky alternatives; Seven Giants, three non-alcoholic tequila alternatives; two non-alcoholic American whiskey alternatives representing bourbon and rye styles, under the Sobour brand; five zero-alcohol vodka alternatives under the Usko brand; and Pearsons, a range of five botanicals.

The Spirits of Virtue range is also available in single-serve pouch offerings, designed to encourage low-risk trialling and experimentation.

“We believe totally in what we're doing – it's all about respect for the end consumer and providing them with the very best product, from the unique Cairngorm water to the botanicals and ingredients, the formulation process, the glass, and the packaging. We want the ultimate quality, with provenance and authenticity,” added Kerr Nicoll.

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