However, the race is on for some of the brands available to make it big in pubs across the UK.
One competitor is Botivo – which is described as “an intensely refreshing aperitivo, bursting with bitter-sweet, botanical and citrus notes” – said the sector has “really gathered pace over the past few years”.
Botivo co-founder Imme Ermgassen added: “We try to look at each sector independently and pubs have always been a big focus for us. We felt no brand had really ever cracked low & no in pubs.
“With drinkers spending such a short time at bar, with the lack of visibility of drinks other than tap beer, and with the overall hospitality issue post-Covid of getting bar staff, it always felt low & no was fighting a losing battle.
“It definitely wasn’t that the pubs were disinterested or hostile to low & no, it was more getting an understanding of ‘how do you list it? How do you create a drink that is easy to make and complex enough to interest the drinker? How do you let people know it’s available?’
“It’s something we work hard on and we have seen pubs now overtake casual dining as our fastest growing and highest RoS sector – a really exciting thing to see.”
A bit cautious
Adnams, which is better known for its beer, produces Smidgin – a 50% ABV drink that only requires a 2.5ml serve (that’s half a teaspoon) – which can be used as low-alcohol variant (providing just 0.1 alcoholic units) in gin serves.
Head of production at the Copper House distillery in Southwold, Suffolk, Fergus Fitzgerald, explained: “Some early low & no spirit product launches made the on-trade feel a bit cautious.
“After the initial trial period, it became difficult to maintain the rate of sale and the short shelf life of some products meant it was wasted at a cost to the pubs.
“Quality low & no options are expected across all drinks now, and spirits is no exception. A drinks serve like Smidgin helps pubs provide that option without the risk of the product expiring.
“We started looking at low & no spirits after the success of Ghost Ship 0.5% Pale Ale and decided fairly early on being able to offer a highly flavoured gin that allowed pubs to treat it like any other spirit was important.”
Marked change seen
He added that with all low & no drinks, the experience matters and the business wanted to ensure pubs could offer a G&T that looks and tastes like a normal G&T and can be made with a customer’s favourite tonic and garnish.
“This allows customers to enjoy their favourite drink as expected, just without the alcohol,” he said.
Meanwhile, Diageo – which boasts a host of 0.0% spirits including Seedlip, Gordon’s 0.0% and Gordon’s Premium Pink 0.0%, Tanqueray 0.0%, Tanqueray Sevilla 0.0% and Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0% – also reminds us “alcohol-free spirits are still at the very start of the category life cycle”.
Diageo marketing manager Craig Watt explained: “Operators and buyers are still getting comfortable with the potential for a 0.0% serve to deliver a premium experience versus a soft drink.
“However, we’ve seen marked change in the past two or three years, with operators quickly recognising the opportunity to drive sales with alcohol-free spirits among those moderating their alcohol consumption when they’re socialising.
“Of course, it helps that now there is more choice in the market meaning venues can experiment and deliver more exciting serves to grab consumers’ attention.”
