Joe Spence, Innovation Manager at Diageo Australia has revealed what he predicts will be ‘on trend’ in the spirits category over the next 12 months, plus some emerging trends the leading drinks business is keeping an eye on.
Among predictions, Mr. Spence points to zero sugar, spiced rum and pairing spirits with food for where growth lies for brands in 2015.
Zero Sugar
We’ve seen an explosion in zero sugar soft drinks over the last few years, driven most powerfully by Coke Zero. Over the past 18 months, this trend has really started to gather momentum in the spirit premix category.
The macro trend of health and wellbeing will lead to more innovation in this space, beyond just zero sugar. We’ll see greater scale in lower carb, lower calorie drinks, as well as the use of more natural ingredients and smaller format products.
Spiced Rum
Spiced rum will continue to go from strength-to-strength in 2015. With packaging and back stories full of magic, adventure and imagination, and liquids that are sweet and easy to mix; spiced drinks are a dream combination for drinks innovators, a trend we believe will spread to other categories in 2015.
Gin
It’s no secret that premium gin is in considerable growth. The mix of authentic flavour, created by botanicals, along with gin’s acceptance as the perfect pre-meal refreshment, is a compelling mix, especially with 25-35 year olds looking for more interesting drink choices than a default beer or wine. We’ll start to see more premium pre-mixed gin products in 2015.
Whisky
Whether it’s blended Scotch, crafted American bourbons, single malts or the increasing popularity of Japanese and Australian whiskies, we will continue to see whisky brands communicate their beautiful stories of craftsmanship and heritage in 2015.
This is perfect for the 25-34 year old age group who are fuelling the majority of whisky growth, attracted by the richness and depth of each product and brand. The world of whisky is ripe for exploration, giving consumers the ability to hang their hats on personal favourites or recommendations.
Pairing Spirits with Food
Gone are the days when pairing the right drink with food meant red wine with meat and white wine with fish. With food the focal point of many drinking occasions, a clearly communicated reason to serve a certain brand with acertain food is key. We will continue to see powerful emotional and functional ownership of food with spirits in 2015 and beyond.
Vermouth and Mezcal
Both vermouth and mezcal are the sweethearts of leading bartenders. As consumers become more educated and experimental with drinks, we will start to see these two pop-up as lead ingredients in the near future. While the tipping point into mainstream culture may be some time off yet, they’re certainly ones to keep an eye on in 2015.
In the next issue of drinks trade, out next week, we provide a snapshot of the year that was – 2014 – using leading research from IRI-Aztec and IBISWorld.
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