Chris Skyrme, PR Director at Sopexa UK, confirms that “the trend is still on the cusp, but the ‘posh’ hand-crafted gin brands, like Telegraph, are gaining in popularity on the cocktail scene. The tipping point could be right around the corner.”
And we’re not the only ones saying so.
Scott Gibson, from the trendy bar Panda & Sons in Edinburgh, was quoted in Harpers as saying “There are a lot of new small batch gins popping up all over the country.” In the UK, Nielsen figures confirmed gin was a big holiday sales winner with a year-over-year increase of 7%.
“Gin is increasingly trendy,” confirms Rafael Esposito from Sopexa Espagna. “We even have a mail-order club that was recently created to focus solely on the spirit, El Club Gin Tonic, which allows members to receive monthly selections of the best craft gins.”
That’s not surprising to the teams in Hong Kong, who have seen this trend take off, with visibility in trendy places like bar Ping Pong 129, which references over 60 gins from around the world — mostly small batch or craft spirits.
And North America is catching on. Already, the SAQ in Quebec, Canada is stocking up on locally-distilled micro hipster brands like Piger Henricus, and importing new premium brands like Chilgrove from the UK. And, when a major market maker like the SAQ starts taking an interest, the market listens.
So if I had to bet on where the next trend was coming from, I’d probably assume that the wave of craft gins is crossing the oceans and coming to our shores sometime soon.
Seems like a pretty safe bet from this international viewpoint.
As a digital strategist and department head, Pauline Oudin has built and directed the digital departments at RDA and Nitro US, working with clients such as Kraft, W Hotels, NIVEA, Mars and Footlocker. Since joining New York-based Sopexa USA as Managing Director, she has led full 360 marketing campaigns for international food and wine clients and is considered an expert on the American market and its unique requirements.
