Spirits to steal the show at LWF 2025
The upcoming London Wine Fair will showcase the best and brightest of the UK's spirits industry, with an inaugural section dedicated to artisan gin, rum, vodka and whisky.
Indicative of the changing consumer landscape, ‘Signature Serve’ will focus on premium spirits and mixer brands with the intention of “appealing to an audience of top end UK based buyers and distributors across the on and off-trade sectors, from the leading cocktail bars to independent retailers and multiple grocers”.
The space – which will be located adjacent to the Mindful Drinking Experience, the Japan Pavilion and Centre Stage – has been capped at no more than 25 exhibitors for its first year.
Leading participants include Beckford’s Rum, BrewDog Distilling Co., Brixton Spirits, CHO SPIRITS, Old Monk Rum, and Wolfie’s Whisky.
The LWF has also appointed two ambassadors for Signature Serve, both of whom bring a wealth of spirits industry knowledge: Millie Milliken, the award-winning drinks and hospitality writer; and Liam Davy, Head of Bars for Hawksmoor Restaurants.
The Canned Wine Group has also signed a three-year partnership deal with the LWF, as alternative formats continue to steal a march with the younger cohort.
This all points to a significant change of direction for the fair, which has hitherto maintained an overriding focus on wine despite growing calls for diversification, led by commentators such as Robert Joseph.
According to its organisers: “The decision to fully commit to spirits this year is down to the dynamics of the visitor audience, the changing landscape of the UK market, and a gap in the market for an industry event that connects spirit brands to serious buyers. More than 2,000 decision makers working in spirits are already attending The Fair, as crossover between wine and spirits buying roles increases year on year.
“Whilst these buyers use The Fair as an essential part of their wine-buying remit, they are currently under-serviced when it comes to spirits exhibitors. 41% of the 2024 on-trade visitors were spirits buyers, covering premises such as: Caprice Holdings; Harrods; 28-50 Restaurant Group; Cliveden House; and Rare Restaurants. From the off-trade 26% of the visitors were responsible for buying spirits, covering retailers such as Harrods; Waitrose; The Whiskey Exchange; Majestic; Tesco; Loki Wines; and The Co-op.”
Meanwhile, an assortment of top spirits buyers and media will be invited to attend an 'after hours' event on the opening night, at which exhibitors will prepare their own signature cocktails.
Hannah Tovey, head of London Wine Fair, said: “We wanted to bring spirits back to The Fair in a really meaningful way and the decision to do this for 2025 is based on feedback from our visitor audience as well as existing and potential exhibitors. The demand for spirits to be a significant part of the show is there, and we are dedicated to delivering a carefully curated very premium space with high end content to meet the expectations of the UK’s key decision makers.”
The 2025 London Wine Fair will take place at Olympia from 19th to 21st May.
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