Non-alcoholic spirits, which appeared a few years ago, are now more and more common. This new category, which allows producers to innovate and diversify their range, is attracting more and more consumers.

    The health crisis has greatly changed consumer habits. Consumers have turned away from traditional alcoholic beverages and are turning to less alcoholic alternatives.  In order to meet these expectations, many distillers have created their own alcohol-free spirits. One of the spearheads of this movement is the Australian company Lyre's, created in 2019. In two years, Lyre's has created a range of more than 13 references ranging from whisky to gin, absinthe and vermouth. Today distributed in more than 43 countries, the young company is valued at more than 100 million euros. Lyre's will be distributed in France from this summer, initially in wine shops and in the on-trade, but soon in supermarkets too.

    Alcohol-free innovations are also flourishing in Europe. In 2020, Brussels-based Alexandre Hauben launched his alcohol-free gin, Botaniets. This new product has seduced many consumers and above all restaurant owners and star chefs, as it is now on the menu of more than 250 restaurants.

In France, where 60% of consumers say they are ready to try an alcohol-free drink, many producers have also taken the step of alcohol-free innovation. This is the case, for example, of Guyome Simmonet from La Rochelle, who has launched his own brand of top-of-the-range alcohol-free spirits, Optimae. After a successful Ulule fundraising campaign, this new drink will start to be marketed during the summer.

The French brand JNPR is not only convincing consumers, but also professionals in the sector. Indeed, at the International Spirits Challenge, the most prestigious competition for spirits, the brand managed to win 2 medals (bronze and silver) for its two flagship products. A great success.

    At the heart of this trend, B&S Tech supports producers in their innovation by providing its expertise in the development of light and alcohol-free products.

http://dealcoholization.zohosites.com/

    Whisky is one of the best-selling spirits in the world and particularly in France, a growth largely supported by innovation. Indeed, the evolution of the market and consumption trends push producers to a constant search for new products and consumption methods.

    Gone are the days of whisky enjoyed by the fireside, millennials want innovative and festive alternatives. According to the recent ISWR study, consumers are less sensitive to traditional whisky marketing (age, distillation process, heritage, etc.). It is to reach this part of the consumer that producers must reinvent themselves.

As Guy Wolfe, Strategic Insights Manager at IWSR, notes, "in recent years, there has been a shift in the way some whisky distillers market their product to make their whiskies more accessible and relevant to a younger audience. The initiatives are multiplying: the Moth brand will soon launch an Old Fashioned cocktail (a mix of whisky and bitter) in cans, while the Californian company Troop has already marketed its "hard-seltzer" mixing whisky with tea and lemon, the Bourbon Smash.

    At the same time, the same consumers are increasingly favouring low and non-alcoholic drinks. The market for non-alcoholic drinks is growing rapidly, particularly in France. According to an OpinionWay survey published in January of this year, 60% of French people want to try a low or no alcohol drink. Although the market for non-alcoholic spirits is still very young, it is nevertheless very promising: this category has seen a 500% increase in sales in 5 years.

    Dealcoholisation could therefore be a good way to support innovation and thus consumer interest in this spirit. The dealcoholisation of whisky allows to keep all the aromatic characteristics and the work done beforehand by the distiller. Much more than a whisky-flavoured drink, this new alternative allows whisky consumers to find everything they appreciate in this spirit but with a much lower alcohol content.

    The development of light products could therefore be a good response to new trends. Many producers are already thinking about it!

    Non-alcoholic spirits have only been around for a few years, but they are already a significant part of the drinks market. What is their future?

    The first innovations date back to 2014, with immediate success, as according to the IWSR , sales of the non-alcoholic spirits category grew by 499.5% between 2014 and 2019. And this growth does not seem to be slowing down: still on a global scale, sales of non-alcoholic spirits are expected to grow by more than 40% by 2024.

    A few players in the sector quickly understood the importance of this market and developed drinks that are now indispensable. Among these brands, the "pioneer" Seedlip, created in 2015 and since acquired by Diageo, can now boast of being distributed in more than 37 countries and soon in France. The British brand Lyre's, a multi-award winner at various prestigious competitions such as the World Spirit Competition in San Francisco, was this week valued at more than £100m. The independent brand, established in 2019, is already distributed in 43 countries worldwide. In addition, Lyre's sales have increased by 1,300% between January 2020 and January 2021 in the UK alone.

    Faced with these phenomenally successful brands, more and more producers are deciding to embark on the adventure. Innovations are therefore becoming more and more numerous. Among them, Spencer Matthews and his no-low spirits brand Clean Co. have created an alcohol-free version of tequila. The drink, called Clean T, joins the ranks of the brand's previous innovations: Clean G non-alcoholic gin and its rum version Clean R. This new alternative will soon be offered to consumers.

And the French are not to be outdone: the JNPR Spirits brand was awarded two medals at the International Spirit Challenge a few days ago: a silver medal for BTTR and a bronze medal for JNPR, a sign of the quality level of these products.

    Non-alcoholic spirits represent a favourable breeding ground for innovation with sales continuing to rise. De-alcoholisation technologies can thus allow the main players to differentiate themselves in this growing market by developing light or alcohol-free products that are truly derived from the traditional spirits produced by the distilleries.

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    The previous year was a very important year for the alcohol-free market. Alternative drinks have multiplied and it is no longer rare to see non-alcoholic spirits on supermarket shelves, whereas they were previously mainly consumed in bars and restaurants. 

    According to data from the Nielsen marketing research institute, the alcohol-free market has grown by more than 500% since 2015. The annual growth of the market is expected to reach 7.1% in 2025. 

In this market, the number of non-alcoholic spirits has increased considerably since 2020. In the United States, there are 12 new brands launched on the market and 11 brands in England. France is not to be outdone with a few notable examples such as Djinn among others. Thanks to this wider selection, consumers can choose between tequila, rum, vodka or gin, all without a drop of alcohol, not to mention the alcohol-free wines and beers already on offer.

    The great innovation in 2020 comes from the brands' work on the evolution of the consumption patterns on offer. Indeed, while non-alcoholic spirits were essentially consumed on the premises, alternatives had to be found given the periods of confinement and the closure of bars and restaurants. Therefore, with the increase in the number of supermarket offers and the education and awareness of barmen, the players in the non-alcoholic spirits sector are working to make consumers aware of consumption at home. 

Among the innovative brands, the Juniper Double Dry, which offers, directly on its site, numerous cocktails to make at home. In France, the JNPR brand offers a "premium gift pack" containing all the utensils needed to make non-alcoholic cocktails. 

    According to the ISWR, 64% of the people interviewed indicated that they intend to continue discovering new brands of non-alcoholic drinks despite the closure of bars and restaurants. These new consumers are looking for novelty and experimentation. It is now up to the industry to respond to this demand. 

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    Mocktails, these non-alcoholic cocktails, have long been considered as drinks for underage consumers. However, in line with the development of non-alcoholic beers and wines, in recent years there have been strong innovations in spirits with the development of "non-alcoholic spirits" similar in characteristics to their alcoholic counterparts. They have played a key role in the renaissance of the mocktail.

    From Diageo with Seedlip to Pernod-Ricard with Ceder's and the French Djins, innovations in alcohol-free products are a hot topic. These alternatives were initially mainly appreciated by barmen, allowing them to revisit traditional cocktails for customers seeking to limit their alcohol consumption. Some bars have even decided to develop this concept by opening establishments serving only non-alcoholic drinks. Among the most notable examples are the Listen Bar in New York, the Virgin Mary in Dublin but also the Gueule de Joie bar in Nantes or Drinks&Co in Paris.

    Then these "non-alcoholic spirits" found their audience among all consumers and are becoming increasingly popular. In France, the market for non-alcoholic drinks has jumped by 30% in 2018. In England, sales of non-alcoholic spirits are expected to increase by 80% in 2022. 

    In the same way, mocktails have become much more democratic and recipes for non-alcoholic cocktails are flourishing on the web for everyone. Traditional cocktails such as Gin Tonic, Spritz, Mojito, are all being reinterpreted without alcohol and are becoming increasingly popular, especially among health-conscious consumers who want to reduce their sugar intake. In fact, they can be up to 4 times less sweet than their alcoholic versions. 

    Thanks to such developments in non-alcoholic spirits, the future of the mocktail is assured: to drink without moderation. 

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