Drinks

What are the best selling drinks brands of 2022

Drinks List 2023

The Drinks List – top brands to stock in 2023

By The Morning Advertiser

This year’s Drinks List has seen great strides forward in terms of volume and value sales versus last year because the on-trade has been operating on a much better basis than during the heavily restrictive phases of the pandemic.

Business growth: the deal means Harbour's beers will be more widely available (image: Adam Sargent)

St Austell takes share in Harbour

By Nikkie Thatcher

South west-based business St Austell Brewery has taken a minority share in north Cornwall business Harbour Brewing Co.

First place: WKD Blue bags top spot (Getty/ Kanawa_Studio)

DRINKS LIST 2023

WKD Blue tops RTD category

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

VK dominates the ready-to-drink (RTD) category this year, with three products making the list, and there are also two newcomers to watch out for.

Great springboard: on-premise drinks sales up 3% in the week to Saturday 19 November vs the same week in 2021 (Credit: Getty/ The Good Brigade)

Drinks sales 3% ahead of 2021

By Rebecca Weller

Average drinks sales across Britain's managed pubs, bars and restaurants exceeded 2021 levels for a ninth successive week, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed.

New products: this week's features includes new serves from Camden Town Brewery, Haacht, Brewpoint and Aspall Cyder alongside a new brand launch from Pull the Pin

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Camden Town announces limited-edition Pilsner

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Camden Town Brewery, Haacht and Brewpoint alongside a festive re-release from Aspall Cyder and a new drinks brand launch.

Negroni Sbagliato... with Prosecco in it: Sam Espensen bottles the drink

How to make a Negroni Sbagliato

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Bartenders give tips on making the perfect Negroni Sbagliato after the drink’s popularity skyrocketed following a viral TikTok video.

Reasons to be cheerful: publicans explain how Heineken Silver has helped boost their sales

Promotional content

Publicans profit from growing light lager opportunity

By Heineken

Since launch in April, Heineken Silver has sold an average of 54 litres per week, per outlet[1], cementing itself as ‘one to watch’ in the lighter lager category, with more than 3,400 outlets already serving it on draught[2].

Sharp's, Shepherd Neame and Black Sheep win at International Beer Challenge 2022

the cask project

Cask ale producers scoop host of awards

By Gary Lloyd

Cask ale producers Sharp’s, Shepherd Neame, Black Sheep Brewery and Purity are celebrating after winning an array of medals at the International Beer Challenge 2022.

CMBC's Kyle Le Vins on 5 myths surrounding cask ale

The cask project

Cask beer doesn’t sell – debunking 5 myths

By Gary Lloyd

Cask ale is difficult to keep and it doesn’t sell. Those are a couple of the 5 myths Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) on-trade category manager Kyle Le Vins has debunked about stocking cask beer.

Unaffordable luxury: average cost of a pint sees biggest increase for 10 years (Credit: Getty/miodrag ignjatovic)

Pint sees biggest price hike in 10 years

By Rebecca Weller

The average cost of a pint of draught lager saw its biggest increase in 10 years between October 2021 and October 2022, figures released yesterday (Wednesday 16 November) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed.

Uncorked: The future of wine is glass (Getty/ Luis Alvarez)

Glass wine bottles are here to stay

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Glass bottles are vital to the cultural “magic” of wine which needs to be protected, despite sustainability concerns, according to experts.

Operator opinion: Gav Young from the Plough and Barleycorn hits back at recent price rises

opinion

A resignation by any other title

By Gav Young, the Plough and Barleycorn, Isle of Wight

The annual pantomime of brewery price rises has begun, kicked off by the same villain that brought you two price rises this year.

Greene King launches Cask Iron Guarantee to save pubs money

GK launches Cask Iron Guarantee

By Gary Lloyd

Suffolk-based brewer and pub operator Greene King has launched a new initiative – the Cask Iron Guarantee – that gives free-trade customers the ability to claim a refund or credit for expired cask ale.

Clarity and certainty: BBPA calls for relief ahead of Autumn Statement to help sector survive difficult winter (Credit: Getty/Shaun Taylor)

Pint becoming 'unaffordable luxury'

By Rebecca Weller

The cost-of-living crisis is leading consumers to see having a pint in their local pub as an “unaffordable luxury” the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has stated.

Bright and progressive future: former Black Sheep Brewery chair Andy Slee (pictured) to take over as SIBA chief executive from January 2023

SIBA appoints new CEO

By Rebecca Weller

The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has announced the appointment of its new chief executive.

New products round-up: this week's feature includes new offerings from Camden Town and Beavertown breweries

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Camden and Beavertown release seasonal beers

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Camden Town Brewery and Beavertown Brewery alongside two new hand-crafted gins and a new chai tea liqueur.

Closure notice: Oriole will shut after 31 December 2022

Top 50 Cocktail Bar to close

By Nikkie Thatcher

The founders of Top 50 Cocktail Bar Oriole have announced the venue will be closing after New Year’s Eve.

Why CMBC's Hobgoblin could help cask category

Seeking a younger market for cask

By Gary Lloyd

Cask is often associated with old men and an out-of-fashion drink but if modernising the beverage and bringing down the average age of the customer is the answer to reinvigorating the category – could Hobgoblin help the category?

News of the brews: CAMRA estimated some 70% of beer made in the UK is produced by a few global brewers (image: Getty/Jonathan Knowles)

Eagle Brewery sale ‘highlights UK beer market imbalance’

By Nikkie Thatcher

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has reacted to the recent news of Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) selling the Bedford-based Eagle Brewery, stating it ‘highlights the dominance of global brewers in the UK and further squeezes small, independent...

Skyrocketing costs: sector leaders have called for more Government support to secure the future of British breweries (Credit: GettySusumu Yoshioka)

Breweries facing 'tsunami' of operating costs

By Rebecca Weller

Industry leaders have urged the Government to provide sector specific support to secure the future of British breweries as “skyrocketing” costs across the board cause a “perfect storm”.

Executive comment: CMBC boss Paul Davies says he is grateful to his colleague and their Damm counterparts for their 'collaboration throughout the process of making the agreement a reality'

CMBC sells Eagle Brewery

By Nikkie Thatcher

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) is planning to sell the Eagle Brewery, Bedford to Spanish brewer SA Damm (Damm) for an undisclosed sum.

Pricey pints: Brits could spend millions of pounds more on beer as inflation rockets (Getty/ miodrag ignjatovic)

Brits could spend £6.9m on pints per hour

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Inflation could cost Brits an extra £4m on pints per hour, research from Real Business Rescue has revealed following reports of £7 pints.

New products: this week's round-up includes new serves from Kopparberg, Dead Man's Fingers, Innis & Gunn, and Black Sheep Brewery

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Dead Man's Fingers releases two new serves

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Dead Man's Fingers, Kopparberg, Innis & Gunn, and Black Sheep Brewery.

Anspach & Hobday completes brewery expansion after fundraising

the cask project

Anspach & Hobday capacity hits 1.76m pints per year

By Gary Lloyd

London-based cask and keg brewer Anspach & Hobday has completed the expansion of its brewery following a crowdfunding drive that mean it is now capable of producing 1.76m pints per year.

New products: this week's round-up features new serves from Stella, Jameson, Salcombe Brewery, BrewDog Distilling Co, Smirnoff and renowned chef Gordon Ramsay

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Stella and Smirnoff announce new products

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Smirnoff, Salcombe Brewery , Jameson and BrewDog Distilling Co. alongside a new on-trade launch from Stella and a new gin from a celebrity chef.

See it, say it, Salt it: Salt brewery will also serve eight cocktails on draught

Salt to open 8th taproom

By Gary Lloyd

Craft and cask beer brewer Salt will open its eighth taproom this autumn with plans for a ninth mooted too – both in the business’s heartland of Yorkshire.

Drinks on James: 'Good vibe' pints from BrewDog CEO

Free pints from BrewDog CEO

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

BrewDog co-founder James Watt is handing out free pints to the public for three days this week to spread “positivity and good vibes”.

Tumultuous time: average drinks sales ahead of last year but rising inflation leaves them down in real terms (Credit: Getty/Klaus Vedfelt)

Inflation holds sales down in real terms

By Rebecca Weller

Drink sales in Britain’s on-trade have exceeded last year’s levels for the fourth week in a row but remained down in real terms due to rising inflation, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed.

Denver style: attendees at the Great American Craft Beer Festival enjoy a silent disco (credit: images © Brewers Association)

What’s trending in US craft beer?

By Lotte Peplow

Beer festivals around the world come in many different iterations but none push the borders of innovation and discovery quite like the Great American Craft Beer Festival (GABF).

New products: this weeks round-up features new offerings from Sipsmith, Whitley Neill, Seven Brothers, Theakston's and Starward

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Sipsmith launches fifth limited-edition serve

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new gins from Sipsmith and Whitley Neill alongside new serves from Theakston's, Seven Brothers and Starward.

Theakston's first ever collab is with craft brand Wylam

the cask project

Cask and keg brewers join for Theakston’s first collab

By Gary Lloyd

Yorkshire-based brewery T&R Theakston has joined forces with Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Wylam Brewery to create Henry’s Pick – the first collaboration beer since the family brewer was founded almost 200 years ago.

Why beer styles only work with a certain dispense method

the cask project

If you love cask ale, is it OK to flirt with keg?

By Pete Brown

Since CAMRA’s foundation, some real ale devotees have insisted it’s the only style of beer worth taking seriously. But times have changed, and so has beer.

Follow us

Property of the week

KENT - HIGH QUALITY FAMILY FRIENDLY PUB

£ 60,000 - Leasehold

Busy location on coastal main road Extensively renovated detached public house Five trade areas (100)  Sizeable refurbished 4-5 bedroom accommodation Newly created beer garden (125) Established and popular business...

Pub Trade Guides

View more

Headlines