Diageo quells sparkling spirits rumours
planned to launch sparkling spirit drinks in the UK in the near
future after filing a patent for a new way of adding fizz to hard
spirits.
"There are no plans to launch any 'sparkling' spirits into Great Britain at present," said Diageo in a statement this week.
The denial comes days after it emerged the group had filed a patent application for a new method of adding 'natural' fizz to a range of spirit drinks.
The technology could help Diageo to keep pace with a shift in consumer drinking habits in the UK.
Spirits have enjoyed rising success in the UK over the last couple of years, particularly among young women, who have begun switching over from flavoured alcoholic beverages, more commonly known as alcopops, according to a report this year from market research group Euromonitor.
It said spirits were now set to boom like alcopops did in the 1990s.
Diageo has traditionally controlled the alcopop market in the UK but has seen market share and sales fall recently, due to declining popularity of the sector and the arrival of rival drinks range, WKD.
This, coupled with a difficult period for Diageo's Guinness brand in the UK and Ireland, may spur the group into new products.
Diageo, refusing to be drawn on a possible sparkling spirits launch, said this week it was committed to innovation and invested significant amounts in new product development.
"Therefore, as you would expect, we are continually investigating various opportunities driven by in-depth consumer research and insight."
