Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/565520
24 Beverage Dynamics • September/October 2015 www.beveragedynamics.com Trend- SPOTTING IS GIN THE NEW CRAFT BEER? GLOBAL TRENDS OFTEN PREVIEW LOCAL TRENDS BY PAULINE OUDIN WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED in the early 2000s that craft beer would be such a huge trend? What started off as just a few local brews sold locally, inched up to steal market shares from some of the biggest players. Now craft represents over 11% in volume of the U.S. market, and probably more importantly, close to 20% of the market in value. Some were taken by surprise; some rode the wave and profi ted; but undoubtably, everyone now asks, "where is the next trend coming from?" There is certainly plenty of U.S. consumer research and data tracking to keep every trade analyst busy, so instead of looking in, I propose to look outside of our borders to see what interesting trends are taking place in Europe and Asia. And without a doubt, one trend stands out from the crowd: the growth of premium "craft-like" gin. Although interesting variations appear from country to country, agencies across Sopexa's network agreed that premium and small-batch gins were a trend to contend with. In Germany, where the trend is probably the most apparent, gin is living through a full-blown renaissance. Hipster brand ambassadors highlight the wonders of their unique product. Creative and adventurous mixologists itch with the desire to explain the differences between the various product discoveries they have made. And dedicated bars, like the G&T in Berlin, are becoming unmissable staples of the nightscape. "In Germany, gin has now become an affair of connoisseurs," says Sylvain Rouchy, Sopexa Germany's Managing Director. "Long gone are the days where you'd order just a Gin & Tonic at the bar." Chris Skyrme, PR Director at Sopexa UK, confi rms that "the trend is still on As a digital strategist and department head, PAULINE OUDIN has built and directed the digital departments at RDA and Nitro US, working with clients such as Kraft, W Hotels, NIVEA, Mars and Footlocker. Since joining New York-based Sopexa USA as Managing Director, she has led full 360 marketing campaigns for international food and wine clients and is considered an expert on the American market and its unique requirements. the cusp, but the 'posh' hand-crafted gin brands, like Telegraph, are gaining in popularity on the cocktail scene. The tipping point could be right around the corner." And we're not the only ones saying so. Scott Gibson, from the trendy bar Panda & Sons in Edinburgh, was quoted in Harpers as saying "There are a lot of new small batch gins pop- ping up all over the country." In the UK, Nielsen fi gures confi rmed gin was a big holiday sales winner with a year-over- year increase of 7%. "Gin is increasingly trendy," con- fi rms Rafael Esposito from Sopexa Es- pagna. "We even have a mail-order club that was recently created to focus solely on the spirit, El Club Gin Tonic, which allows members to receive monthly se- lections of the best craft gins." That's not surprising to the teams in Hong Kong, who have seen this trend take off, with visibility in trendy places like bar Ping Pong 129, which references over 60 gins from around the world — mostly small batch or craft spirits. And North America is catching on. Already, the SAQ in Quebec, Canada is stocking up on locally-distilled micro hipster brands like Piger Henricus, and importing new premium brands like Chilgrove from the UK. And, when a major market maker like the SAQ starts taking an interest, the market listens. So if I had to bet on where the next trend was coming from, I'd probably as- sume that the wave of craft gins is cross- ing the oceans and coming to our shores sometime soon. Seems like a pretty safe bet from this international viewpoint. BD