by Helen Medina, World Spirits Alliance CEO
“Summer afternoon,” wrote Henry James, “the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
As summer approaches across much of the Northern Hemisphere, I’ll be spending plenty of time with friends and family organising barbecues or enjoying a Sunday afternoon in sunny gardens or busy terraces. There will surely be times when I look forward to a cold, refreshing beverage.
In recent years, I’ve increasingly noted the growing presence of no- and lower-alcohol beverages at these summer occasions and how it signifies a broader shift in consumer preferences that has been reshaping markets around the world.
The desire for flexibility, the steady move towards moderation and longer-term demographic changes have reshaped how people approach a drink. According to Drinkaware, almost half (49%) of young adults in the UK are choosing no- and lower-alcohol drinks to moderate their drinking, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2018. Rather than replacing alcohol beverages, researchin the United States revealed that 92% of non-alcohol spirits consumers also drink alcohol.
Responsible enjoyment has always been part of the culture of spirits, and our industry takes its responsibility to evolve alongside changing consumer expectations seriously.
A cocktail offers particular versatility in this regard. It can be built around a single measure, a concept known as a standard drink, lengthened with a low-calorie mixer or served long over ice. Ready-to-drink products have also expanded the range of options available to consumers by offering a full-flavoured spirits serve in a fixed, clearly labelled, pre-measured format, ensuring a person knows exactly what is in their glass.
No- and lower-alcohol products complete the picture. What was once a niche category has become an increasingly important part of the beverage landscape, and a wider range of high-quality options means there is now a genuinely appealing choice suited to many occasions and lifestyles. They make it easy to alternate between alcohol and non-alcohol options across an evening and are a welcome part of a much wider range of choices.
The growing popularity of these products is not only attracting the attention of consumers and producers. It is also becoming an increasingly important topic in policy discussions about alcohol and public health.
Two months ago, when I spoke at the World Health Organization(WHO) Dialogue with Economic Operators, I highlighted the WSA’s commitment to reducing the harmful use of alcohol through a whole-of-society approach and how no- and lower-alcohol options play a key role in supporting moderation and consumer choice.
Whether someone chooses a gin and tonic, a lower-alcohol product or a mocktail, our industry’s objective remains the same: giving consumers more ways to make informed choices that work for them. That is why I see the growth of this category as a positive development. We are offering a wider, more flexible set of options to consumers that are well-suited to a season built for gatherings.
And through it all, moderation remains front and centre
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