The UK’s advertising watchdog has taken issue with a BrewDog Instagram post for its hard seltzer: saying the tongue-in-cheek advertising implied a nutritional claim on an alcohol drink. It also ticked off the craft brewer for implying the 5% ABV drink...
South Korea consumers are drinking more alcohol alone at home amid COVID-19, a trend which has driven fruit wine imports up but not managed to stop a downward slope for imported beers.
The trend of people consuming 'less but better' in their homes opens up exciting innovation opportunities for food NPD and products that pair well with beer and other alcohol, say firms.
The UK’s Discarded Spirits has just unveiled a grape-based vodka, made using waste-products recovered from the wine making process, in an attempt to tap into consumer desire for zero waste ingredients.
Global beverage alcohol is showing positive signs of recovery: expected to grow 2.9% in volume by the end of 2021; and return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023.
Singapore-based Lion Brewery Co has tapped its e-commerce business and new concepts including subscription services to drive craft beer sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
UK’s premium mixer brand Fever-Tree is ramping up its Asia-Pacific expansion with a launch into South Korea this year, and rolling out its low-calorie range into more markets.
Product names or descriptors such as ‘CBD gin’ or ‘rum infused with CBD’ could prove problematic in the UK, says the Portman Group, as it sets out guidance on marketing CBD.
Japanese brewery giants Asahi and Kirin are reacting cautiously to the government’s push to include alcoholic content by gramme on product labels, though both will be implementing changes which experts believe will be emulated by the rest of the industry...
By Dan Hooper, co-founder, YesMore alcohol marketing agency
As the UK prepares to ease restrictions, brands and venues face the challenge of finding a celebratory yet responsible and realistic tone in their marketing and communications. Dan Hooper, co-founder of YesMore marketing agency, gives his five top tips...
Uber Technologies will acquire US e-commerce alcohol marketplace Drizly for $1.1bn, which will see the service join the Uber Eats app as well as maintaining a separate Drizly platform.
A new partnership between alcohol brands, online retailers and delivery platforms pledges to create robust global standards for responsible online sales and deliveries of alcohol: with AB InBev, Molson Coors, Asahi, Drizly and Uber Eats all part of the...
South Africa will now allow limited sales of alcohol, lifting its third ban on alcohol sales. “This is a welcome step to helping the industry begin its long journey back to recovery,” say alcohol industry bodies.
Australian kombucha specialist firm Bucha of Byron is looking beyond its traditional health conscious clientele to also target consumers seeking alcoholic beverages with a better-for-you twist.
In the first decision of its kind, The Portman Group has upheld a complaint against CBD gin ‘Colorado High’ in the UK for both creating a link with an illicit drug and implying therapeutic qualities. But the craft distiller behind the gin argues adults...
2021 is likely to be a transition year for the US beverage alcohol category, predicts online retailer Drizly. Pandemic trends will persist amidst a slow return to pre-COVID life, while up-and-coming categories such as RTDs and mezcal will continue to...
Australia’s alcoholic drinks sector has started the year with a fight on two fronts, leading industry leaders to give both barrels to new government drinking guidelines and accusations from academics that it provides a ‘distorted view’ of scientific evidence’...
The South African alcohol industry has pledged to withdraw support for, or association of brands with, major entertainment events over the festive period: saying they will not associate themselves with activities that have the potential of attracting...
Brands which copy successful innovations will forever be playing catch up. Instead, they should understand why an innovation has succeeded and use those insights to carve out their own path, writes Stephen Firth, senior partner, Vivaldi London, in this...
While total beverage alcohol is expected to see an 8% decline in 2020, that’s a lot less than the double-digit losses predicted earlier this year. But the long term recovery is still expected to be slow.
Coca-Cola European Partners' Topo Chico Hard Seltzer launch in Europe signals the start of a new strategy in alcohol. And the bottler hopes its proposed acquisition of Coca-Cola Amatil will give it insights for success in the category.
New RTD vodka soda brand Two Days is debuting its 3% ABV drinks: which are designed to be lower in alcohol than other hard seltzers. The brand is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Elise Marks and Brendan Bennett – who came up with the idea during lockdown...
The South African alcohol industry is welcoming the government’s decision to lift its coronavirus ban on alcohol sales, with the trading and distribution of alcohol again permitted from today.
Alcohol industry organisations are calling on the South African government to provide a clear timeline of its coronavirus alcohol ban: not only because of the effect on the local economy, but also because of the constraints placed on international trade.
New Zealand’s premium gin company Scapegrace Distilling is set to export its naturally coloured black gin in Asia, with the first shipments expected to land in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Japan this month.
The alcohol beverage industry has taken a hit from the coronavirus pandemic. But shifts in consumer behavior are also opening up new opportunities: for example in RTDs, local products, and low/no alcohol drinks.
Sales of alcohol-flavoured sweets rose by 20% in the UK while the country’s pubs were shut due to Covid-19, manufacturer Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls has revealed.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recently announced that it would be making industry-friendly changes to the text requirements for pregnancy warning labels on alcoholic beverages – but its insistence to mandate coloured labels has left industry...
The labelling of alcoholic beverages with consumer information such as ingredients, nutritional values and potential harm from alcohol is ‘not consistent or even considered’ in many countries in Europe, according to a report from the World Health Organization...
Campari Group will acquire a 49% interest in Tannico S.p.A, an Italian e-commerce platform for wines and premium spirits: noting the online channel is set to grow strongly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Australian alcoholic beverages industry has highlighted ‘glaringly obvious’ flaws and anomalies in the government’s recent review of minimum unit pricing, claiming that the results are erroneous and calling for an inquiry.
Alcohol consumption in UAE is expected to continue to decline, a trend which began last year and accelerated with the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, according to new research.
Although global beverage alcohol volume increased slightly in 2019, reversing declines from the year prior, it will be five years before the global industry rebounds from the Covid-19 crisis, according to IWSR. “In many ways, 2019 was perhaps the last...
Thailand's retraction of a nationwide blanket ban on alcohol sales, which led to panic-buying and fears of a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, has been defended by industry leaders who claim alcohol and social gatherings don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand.
By Tom Harvey, co-founder, YesMore Beverage Marketing Agency
How do you keep people interested in your beverage brand during the coronavirus crisis - and how can you ensure you're ready to hit the ground running when restrictions are lifted? Tom Harvey, co-founder of YesMore Beverage Marketing Agency, shares...
Chinese’s premium baijiu brand Rong Tai He Moutai (RTH) Maotaijiu is planning to expand into Japan, South Korea, ASEAN and the US with its high-end spirit this year.
Sales of alcohol and fresh foods on e-commerce in China have surged during the COVID-19 epidemic, with market analysts predicting that the changes in consumer buying habits are here to stay.
Spirits companies around the world are donating alcohol and production facilities to make hand sanitizer. In the US, the Distilled Spirits Council of the US is streamlining efforts in a dedicated portal to connect suppliers, producers and medical professionals....
With the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis only likely to worsen, the federal government is announcing different forms of aid packages. US alcohol associations are now asking for assistance.
Ficks Beverage Co. wants to transform the flavor quality in hard seltzer without malt liquor or flavors. It takes cues from health-forward, non-alcoholic seltzers by using only fruit juice and no chemical additives.
An oversupply of wine in the US has producers rethinking their branding and marketing strategies to reach millennials and Gen Z drinkers. The Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division (SVB) advises wineries to tap into the ‘better-for-you’ trend and health-forward...
Australian craft distilling company Natural Distilling Co has chosen to use hemp as the main ingredient for its first two product launches, as it intensifies efforts in using local, natural and sustainable superfood ingredients to innovate in the craft...
The sale of alcohol in the US passes through a three-tiered system: producers, distributors and retailers. For years this has impacted alcohol’s digital presence, forcing consumers to shop brick-and-mortar or turn to third parties.
Local cider sales in the US are up 15% since last year. And despite recent challenges from hard seltzer and FMBs, regional ciders are tracking double-digit growth. The industry now focuses on conveying the diversity of the cider category.
Popular RTD cocktails and pre-mixed spirits contain ‘unnecessarily high and hidden sugar and calories’, according to UK campaign group Action on Sugar. It says such drinks should reformulate in line with the parameters set out by the sugar tax - or else...
