Predicted drinks trends for 2020

Retailers are identifying a subtle shift in how people view their evening drink, with the focus more on flavour than alcohol content.

Drinkers are thinking more about whether they want to sip on something bitter, sweet, long or cold, rather than whether it’s alcohol based. Meanwhile, both non-alcoholic drinks and lower-alcohol alternatives to classic concoctions are growing.

“This trend is partly due to prioritising health, but also thanks to non-alcoholic mixers such as Fever-Tree, Coca-Cola and Double Dutch innovating heavily and moving upmarket,”​ says the report.

“Alongside the growing importance of flavour, we’re seeing a rise in the popularity of lower alcohol drinks.”

A new and exciting challenge!

It’s safe to say that, when it comes to bars in the UK, the past decade has been defined by gin.

A staggering 402 new gin brands have entered the market since May 2016, 367 of which are premium brands. The premium gin consumer has an average repertoire of 7.3 more gin brands than the average gin consumer (6.9) and this is increasing year-on-year.

Due to this overwhelming glut of brands on the market, we believe that brand identity, provenance and point of difference will be more important than ever for producers and bars looking to stand out from the competition.

“Focusing on the craft and quality aspect of gin will encourage consumers to trade-up to buy better quality gin as a special treat for themselves,”

A STAGGERING 402 NEW GIN BRANDS HAVE ENTERED THE MARKET SINCE MAY 2016, 367 OF WHICH ARE PREMIUM BRANDS

OUR GIN PROJECT

A product proposition bound by its location, ethos and heritage

Courtney’s, an established rural cider producer, wanted to join the gin boom by playing upon the unique properties of the Exe Valley and river.

Initially a single London Gin product was to be launched and become established before expanding into more dynamic and lavish flavours.The proposition needed to attract those already interested in gin, those new to market, and tourists visiting the South West. The founders of Exe Gin had confidence in the product and wanted to make sure that it caught people’s attention and visually resonated with the culture and origin of the brand.

“Quantock have surpassed our initial expectations by bringing to life our new formulation Exe Gin. Their insight and creative know-how has captured the imagination and ethos of the brand impeccably.

Gin isn’t just about drinking it, it’s about enjoying the experience, like sitting by the river and sampling your latest creation. It can be enjoyed in pretty much any season, climate, or even time of day”

PAUL COURTNEY, FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR – COURTNEY’S

The Exe Gin has established astonishing results, with immediate listings in some of the South-West’s top tourism destinations as well as many well respected restaurants and bars, including, Lympstone Manor, Michael Caine’s – Courtlands House, The Lamb & Flag and Point Bar & Grill and many more. The Exe Gin also won an accolade for best gin during its first outing at a tasting evening.

Britain’s love affair with pink gin and rosé wine seems to be expanding: drink aisles are now an explosion of pink.

Orange wine is created by leaving skin and seeds on grapes during fermentation, leading to an unusual ‘orange’ colour.

A bumper harvest has led to a boost in sales of English and Welsh wine last year. For something different, look out for Litmus Orange, the first English orange wine to be sold in a supermarket. ​

Wine drinkers are now becoming more confident in exploring more unusual wines.

Eastern European wine, is gaining popularity: sales of the dry Slovenian Furmint – a grape characterised by electric acidity – are up 159%. Retailers are tapping into the trend for ‘controlled discovery’ with the launch of new lesser-known wines, including grape varieties that three-quarters of people hadn’t heard of. But more drinkers will now be sampling the likes of Arinto from Portugal or Cannonau from Sardinia.

Aesthetically, bars have evolved much like the wave of craft coffee.

No one walks into a Starbucks anymore awestruck by the green awning and monochromatic menu boards. In 2019 breweries have transformed their spaces into artfully-designed, perfectly-patterned hangouts replete with quirky knick-knacks and architectural conversation pieces.

Lyme Bay Winery produce unique high quality and award-winning traditional ciders, fruit wines, meads, liqueurs & English wines.

Their products primarily retail through independent food shops, farm shops and some national retailers such as John Lewis and Waitrose. Each brand communicates provenance, refinement and distinctiveness through a combination of bottle shape/colour, label graphics and sophisticated printing techniques.

“Utilising an abstract ink watercolour by artist Dina Campbell we produced a series of labels for Lyme Bay’s still and sparkling English wines which have since gone onto achieve incredible, international award winning success. The combination of simple, classic typography combined with the energy and fluid linework of the illustration, created a light and fresh design that perfectly complimented the wines themselves.”

Terry Elford, Senior Designer

Giving consumers the chance to flavour their own spirits taps into trends for personalisation and the chance to engage with the drinks they’re consuming.

Instead of buying pre-flavoured gins or vodkas, we’re increasingly taking a homespun approach and adding our own choice of fruits, herbs or botanicals to plain spirits.  It’s theatrical, creative and personalised, and it makes a great gift.​

Fizz is everywhere right now, whether its the booming sales of Prosecco and sparkling wine, or the rapid expansion of the premium mixer sector.

Last year’s London Cocktail Week even saw a masterclass dedicated to the history of carbonated water. Last year, one of the most sought-after serves became the Aperol Spritz; orange Aperol liqueur made by Campari, mixed with Prosecco and soda. Aperol sales were up nearly 25%, according to Campari.

“Bars are constantly looking to create a point of difference so the ability to carbonate their own sodas in-house offers both flexibility and creativity, simply by adding one interesting step to the process.”

Singapore bar Operation Dagger, which was voted 24th this year by The World’s 50 Best Bars, boasts a full menu of home-made sparkling cocktails, all of which are carbonated in-house.

Four Elms Fruit Farm has been recognised for many years as the Southwest’s leading grower of premium apples and producer of multi-award winning ‘Real Devonshire Apple Juice’.

The Smedley Family bought the farm in 1962. A total of 26 acres of dilapidated orchard is now 70 acres of a flourishing business. Mark, a former Royal Marine, is taking the business into the third generation. Mark’s vision is to leverage their award winning reputation and fast growing distribution channels. First on his list was a move into the cider production market.

Quantock began the project by sampling some of the Mark’s delicious new ciders…… No better way to get the creative ‘juices’ flowing. From the outset it was clear that Quantock needed to strike a balance between the traditional character of the existing brand and more modern values.

The brief was well-defined and Quantock developed the Four Elms Brand ID applied harmoniously to the new hand crafted ciders. Quantock’s final executions reinforced the principle foundations of the Four Elms brand, and provided a perfect evocation of the rich Devonshire countryside.

The importance of packaging as a premium cue in the spirits sector continues to grow.

“With elegant shapes and intricate designs, spirit bottles are now definitely things of beauty,” ​says Waitrose. “So much so that we’re repurposing rather than recycling: using them as table centrepieces,
draping fairy lights around them at home, or transforming them into diffuser-stick holders.”​

Alcohol packaged in cans used to be frowned upon. But the craft beer boom has bought them back into the limelight, and sales of canned lager now outstrip bottled.

“Ready-to-drink cocktails in a tin are also flying off the shelves and Waitrose & Partners is selling English wine in a can, too. Aluminium is proving popular as it’s easily recyclable and cans already contain a high proportion of recycled content, making them a green choice.”​

We have been shaping powerful food and drinks brands for 30 Years. Everything that we do, we can proudly say has come from our belief, culture and passion to see performance delivered.

To find out where our creative and communications experts can take your brand get in touch or come and meet our team.

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