While the no and low category has dominated the market there has been a growing move towards mid-strength alcoholic drinks.
Much of this momentum has been driven by smaller, entrepreneurial brands, but the category has hit mainstream following drinks giant Diageo’s launch of new 20% ABV products from Gordon’s, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan.
“When socialising today, consumers want choice and it’s our job to ensure that our brands offer something for every occasion, including different ABV options,” said Mark Sandys, Chief Product Officer at Diageo.
“Consumers expect great taste and quality from brands they know and love and we’ve worked hard to ensure that these new products from Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Gordon’s deliver the same great flavour, with just less alcohol.”
Recent research from KAM highlights the potential for this market. Its own consumer research of 1,000 adults found that 50% of them said they would rather have two mid-strength drinks than one full-strength option when opting for ‘just one’ at the pub.
Additionally, 13% reported ‘coasting’ their evenings, alternating mid-strength drinks to reduce overall alcohol intake while maintaining the same number of drinks.
Despite this potential, consumer awareness of mid-strength alcohol remains relatively underdeveloped with less than half of consumers are familiar with mid-strength beer, and awareness of mid-strength wine, cider, and spirits even lower, the research said.
Martin Pasco, Mintel Food & Drink Global Associate Principal, said that in 2026, 43% of UK adults have limited or reduced their alcohol consumption, including spirits, in the last 12 months, whilst a further 19% do not drink alcohol.
Half of UK drinkers aged 18 to 54 report practising ‘zebra striping’ by alternating between soft and standard alcoholic drinks during the same occasion.
Pasco believes the alcohol moderation trend has “undoubtedly” influenced Diageo’s decision to launch into mid-strength spirits, enabling the company to cover the full spirits occasion spectrum more thoroughly.
“Diageo leadership is now applying FMCG best practice to the drinks market and has already launched smaller and mid-sized pack sizes to capitalise on casual usage. Covering the full ABV spectrum also fits with broadening usage occasions,” he said.
Consumer looking to moderate their alcohol intake often turn first to soft drinks given their lower price.
Pasco argues that mid-strength spirits may offer a stronger proposition than alcohol-free spirits, which are often viewed as expensive and can struggle to replicate like-for-like taste.
“This makes mid-strength a better bet,” he said. “Mintel has been saying for a while that an easier win would be to offer mid-strength spirits, reduced by 25-50% of the full-proof ABV. These will allow drinkers still to enjoy some complex alcohol flavours, whilst also feeling they are cutting back – and given this taste profile, are most likely to justify their price point.”
He points out that for mid-strength spirits to change that behaviour and grow incremental usage, brand owners like Diageo need to support them with messaging to raise awareness, and drive shoppers to the shelf.
“They also need to story-tell on the intended usage for mid-strength (within advertising legal guidelines), perhaps on earlier evening occasions or to prolong consumption across an entire evening session,” he said.
Pasco added that manufacturers will need to invest in consumer education and awareness-building to drive category growth.
This is a view supported by Gabriella Lamb, co-founder 6Percent Wine, who thinks the Diageo move is “positive” for the category.
“The fact that Diageo has come out with this range is only a positive for us small independent brands because it is raising awareness on a huge scale and customers will start recognising and understanding what mid-strength is,” Lamb said.
“They’ve got the big budget. They’ve got the awareness and it will become terminology that people become familiar with. If they are familiar with that terminology, they’ll be asking for it more, they’ll be seeing it more and they’ll be buying it more. So the knock-on effect is huge for us and we’re really pleased.”
Lamb argues that mid-strength alcohol represents more than a passing trend and reflects broader shifts in consumer behaviour.
“What isn’t going anywhere is the socialising, interaction, the experiences. People are going out, less but when they are going out they want quality experiences and mid-strength fits into that lifestyle,” she said.