Drinks Trade #85 - Summer 2022

VIBRANT FLAVOUR, REFRESHINGLY LIGHT.

CREDITS

PUBLISHER The Drinks Association

www.drinksassociation.com.au

All enquiries to:

The Drinks Association Locked Bag 4100, Chatswood NSW 2067 ABN 26 001 376 423

The views expressed in Drinks Trade are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily those of the magazine or The Drinks Association. Copyright is held by The Drinks Association and reproduction in whole or in part, without prior consent, is not permitted.

EDITORIAL

PUBLISHING EDITOR Ashley Pini ashley@hipmedia.com.au

EDITOR Melissa Parker melissa@hipmedia.com.au

DIGITAL EDITOR Ioni Doherty ionid@drinks.asn.au

STAFF WRITER Cody Profaca cody@hipmedia.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS Caroline Ashford

DESIGN

SENIOR DESIGNER Jihee Park jihee@hipmedia.com.au

ADVERTISING

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Jenny Park jenny@hipmedia.com.au

PRODUCTION MANAGER Sasha Falloon .........sasha@hipmedia.com.au

Produced and contract published by:

ACCOUNTS: accounts@hipmedia.com.au

For new product or current releases in Drinks Trade magazine send a sample to:

HIP Media

12 Cudgee Street, Turramurra NSW 2074 www.hipmedia.com.au | facebook.com/drinksmedia ABN: 42 126 291 914

Living in the southern hemisphere means summer in Australia coincides with the festive season and the new year. That’s a triple whammy for the Australian liquor industry. The heat calls for copious amounts of cold refreshments, the holiday season says relax, enjoy your favourite tipple, and your well-earned time off, while the new year prompts us to contemplate the year that was and anticipate the one ahead. And we can only do that with a glass of Champagne or a cocktail.

To celebrate summer, we look at three beverage categories that beautifully slot into our lives in the warmer months – Pale Ale, Gin and Ready to Drink. On page 24, Cody Profaca’s Pale Ale piece advises which products should already be on your radar and those you should be adding to your pale ale repertoire and ranges.

As for Ready to Drinks, they have been transitioning from UDL to seltzer to the premium bottled signature cocktail. We are calling it the RTD renaissance. We are not suggesting they ever went out of fashion, but there was something about endless lockdowns and the loss of time at the local bar with our favourite mixologist that had us turning to premium RTDs. Turn to page 30 for the latest on this ever-evolving category.

We all love a long summertime G&T, and Australia produces some of the best gin in the world. Caroline Ashford, aka The Gin Queen, reports on where the gin category in Australia is heading and whether the gin bubble is being muscled off its top spot by other white spirits such as Agave. Read her revealing story on page 38.

Drinking in the heat and the sun is never a good idea. Just add this to the plethora of good reasons why the burgeoning non-alc category is just that. This booming sector is proving to be something of a reckoning for the drinks industry. It reflects society’s sentiment toward sober curiosity and the increasing obsession with health as wealth. We look at the many faces of zero alcohol on page 46.

Publishing Editor, Ashley Pini speaks with the managing director of Lion Australia, David Smith to discuss about the direction he is taking the business, from its many exciting and iconic brands to its position as one of the liquor industry’s most progressive companies. Read the interview on page 20.

Finally, we tasted some delicious Grenache samples and asked, is this wonderful Southern Rhône variety the new Pinot Noir? (page 61).

You will have noticed that this copy of Drinks Trade was delivered with your edition of our Annual Drinks Guide. First published in 1976 in its then guise as Thomson’s Guide, the Drinks Guide still proves a valuable tool for the liquor industry and one we are proud to continue. It’s a damn lot of hard work, but worth every page for the value it provides.

As we say goodbye to 2022, the team at Drinks Trade wish you all a prosperous and happy new year.

Melissa melissa@hipmedia.com.au @drinkswithmelparker

REFRESHINGLY PERFECT

PATRÓN MARGARITAS

THE PERFECT WAY TO ENJOY PATRÓN IS RESPONSIBLY. PATRÓN, ITS TRADE DRESS AND THE BEE LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS.

Available at all good liquor stores. For more information contact your [yellow tail] Representative.

*Compared to [yellow tail] Shiraz, Sparkling, and Chardonnay.

Paramount Conference Connecting Distributors and Retailers

In mid-October, Byron Bay bore witness to more than 100 of the sharpest minds in Australia’s liquor industry for a few days of learning, motivation, recognition, and celebration.

Key moments included Michael McQueen’s speech about AI’s likely impact on the drinks industry over the coming five years, the on-premise panel discussion, and the interactive game show segment: think spending a day in the shoes of a delivery driver. A second panel dissected trends in technology, sustainability, flavour, and premiumisation.

Paramount is Australia’s largest family-owned on-premise liquor wholesaler and carries over 11,000 products across beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks. The conference also discussed Paramount’s recently launched Evolution Rewards program that allows businesses to accumulate points for every dollar spent: an industry first.

Roll With It

Coopers, Australia’s largest family-owned brewery, is rolling into 2023 with a new campaign to ‘bring back the roll.’

The process of rolling a Coopers product— whether a keg, bottle, or can—before opening is a longstanding tradition that best incorporates the beer’s natural sediment, resulting in a cloudy pour that reaches its full flavour potential. Coopers is afraid its consumers have become less aware of this useful technique.

The sediment is a natural biproduct of Coopers’ secondary in bottle fermentation, a process that better retains the beers’ flavour profile and eliminates any need for pasteurisation. In addition to this, it also extends shelf life.

The integrated digital and social media campaign will run over summer and includes a short film and augmented reality game; prizes are up for grabs for anyone who can nail the perfect virtual roll.

Mumm Tasmania: Champagne Down Under

Meet Australia: the world’s sixth largest Champagne market. Now meet Maison Mumm: Pernod Ricard’s flagship Champagne house, pretty much a household name in Australia. Fresh off the back of the recently launched Marlborough Brut Prestige, Mumm has added a new edition to its Terroir Series range with the launch of Mumm Tasmania Brut Prestige. The result of close collaboration between Pernod Ricard sparkling winemaker Trina Smith and G.H. Mumm Chef de Caves Laurent Fresnet, the new release takes cues from their collective experience to create a product that embodies the Tasmanian terroir. “With Mumm Tasmania, we are revealing a new expression of Pinot Noir, with the same quest for the utmost quality, and in line with Maison Mumm’s style,” Fresnet said. Smith says most of the grapes will be sourced from Tasmania’s Northern Rivers area. It is now available nationally at an RRP of $40.

Great Taste. Low Carbs.

Taittinger’s Limited Edition Sparkling

Available nationwide exclusively through Emperor, the limited-edition sparkling retails for $129 and aims to capitalise on the rare occurrence of a World Cup taking place during Australia’s summer. With Australia being the world’s sixth largest Champagne consumer and proudly sport-fanatical, Emperor Champagne CEO Kyla Kirkpatrick is expecting a lot of demand for the new product.

“The timing of the special FIFA World Cup edition Champagne release from Taittinger is perfect with summer around the corner and the silly season in full swing!

While a first for Emperor, 2022 marks the third consecutive partnership between footballs biggest stage and the largest family-owned Champagne house, firmly cementing Taittinger as ‘the Champagne of the World Cup.’ Managing Director Clover Taittinger, an avid soccer fan, believes the partnership is an important opportunity for brand growth and recognition.

“This is our third cycle partnership with FIFA™ and for Champagne Taittinger, it is a big honour and mark of trust to be affiliated with a major global tournament. Football is part of our universal culture and it brings people together. Every bubble carries a dose of emotion.” Kirkpatrick advises interested parties to get in quick before the limited run sells out.

“We have a limited allocation of 2500 bottles of the Special Release FIFA edition Champagne in Australia, so it won’t go far!

“Some Champagne lovers may choose to cellar the Champagne and ultimately keep the collection as they are released over time with each [World] Cup.”

Home to the largest Champagne collection in the Southern Hemisphere, Emperor functions as both a direct-to-consumer eCommerce destination alongside distributing to retailers. “Emperor Champagne is unique in the market in that we are Champagne specialists. We have our own climate-controlled state of the art storage facilities, our own in-house marketing and design teams and a huge database of Champagne lovers. You will see more limited and rare release campaigns coming from Emperor, this year and beyond. We have some very exciting releases coming up.”

The Taittinger Brut Réserve FIFA World Cup 2022 edition is available at www. emperorchampagne.com.au .

The Balvenie x Lennox Hastie

The Balvenie whisky, from the house of William Grant and Sons, brought together members of the trade, bartenders and media, to enjoy an evening of paired whisky and food made by renowned chef, Lennox Hastie of Firedoor Restaurant in Sydney.

Masterfully emceed by Creative Collaborations Lead, Ross Blainey, the event brought together a whisky and a chef that both have an enduring passion for their craft. The food prepared by Hastie was cooked using staves from two Balvenie casks, transported from Scotland for the evening and infusing the fivecourse degustation with flavours normally reserved for those enjoying one of the Balvenie range.

Pick of the evening: the Kangaroo dish paired with Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old. Pick of The Balvenie range: the Caribbean Cask 14 Year Old.

Lark Distilling Co Appoints Satya Sharma as CEO

Lark Distilling Co has announced Satya Sharma, currently the Regional Managing Director South East Asia and Australasia for William Grant & Sons, as their new CEO, effective from May 1, 2023.

The fulfillment of this role has been a critical objective for the business, which celebrated turning 30 earlier this year with an industry wide event held in Hobart. The company’s current interim Managing Director, Laura McBain, will continue to serve as interim CEO until May 1, 2023, following which she will remain as a Non-Executive Director.

LARK Chair, David Dearie, said, “This is an exciting new phase in the company’s growth. The board has been working on CEO succession, and we are delighted to secure a CEO of Satya’s calibre and experience to lead the company through its next phase of growth and expansion. Mr Sharma was recently honoured as a Keeper of the Quaich for his services to the Scotch Whisky industry.

Free “Phy-gital” Alsace Wine Trade Show for Wine Professionals

February 27, February 28, and March 1 of 2023 are dates all wine professionals worldwide should be scratching into their calendars as the largest “phy-gital” wine trade show organised by an appellation makes its return.

The inaugural Millésimes Alsace Digitasting took place in 2021 and involved more than 10,000 tasting boxes distributed to more than 4,000 visitors across 55 countries. The event is an opportunity to better understand France’s Eastern-most region, and all Australian wine professionals are eligible to select five tasting boxes of four 30mL samples from producers they would like to try. In addition to these, DigiTasting will automatically include two ‘discovery boxes’ and a ‘so trendy’ box.

Live masterclasses will be conducted by leading industry and Alsace professionals across two compatible time zones and will explore current trends. Partakers can also schedule virtual meetings with any other producer present at the show.

The samples are kept fresh by unique technology developed by DigiTasting in 2021 with the help of l’Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (The French Institute of Vine and Wine) and independent laboratories.

To register, visit www.millesimes-alsace. com/ (strictly wine trade professionals only). Tasting boxes will be delivered free of charge.

BrewDog Unleashes Sydney Venue

If you’re down at the pub and hear wolves howling don’t be alarmed: BrewDog has just announced the opening of their first Sydney venue. Set to be unveiled to the public on the 2nd of December, expect growing BrewDog brand presence nationwide both in on-premise and off-premise settings. The $3.2 million venue follows the success of BrewDog Brisbane, opened in 2019, and is expected to quickly become a hallmark of Sydney’s craft beer circuit. Set in the iconic Locomotive Workshop in Sydney’s South Eveleigh precinct, the venue intermingles antique machinery with bold neon signs, polished concrete floors, industrial-styled lighting, and an eclectic mix of seating spaces. The venue will accommodate 720 patrons inside and 190 outside. BrewDog already operates more than 100 bars across 60 countries and was the world’s first carbon neutral brewery, following their mission to be recognised as a leading symbol of sustainability in the drinks category.

Environmental Excellence Awards: Taylors Wins Large Winery Category

Despite having a relatively low carbon footprint compared to other agricultural practices, it is refreshing to see the wine industry continually pushing to become greener.

The South Australian Wine Industry Association’s Environmental Excellence Awards are hosted at its annual luncheon to celebrate industry leaders in sustainable innovations. Category winners include Taylors (Large Winery), Henschke (Small-Medium Winery Category), and Treasury Wine Estates and Hayes Family Wines (joint Viticulture Category). Family winery Taylors won its category ahead of finalists Pernod Ricard, Treasury Wine Estates, and Accolade Wines. Third generation Winemaker and Managing Director Mitchell Taylor says he is proud to support a business with a “passion for leaving our land and the planet in a better place than before.”

“We also commend all the other finalists and winners at this year’s awards. It’s a testament to our industry leaders who recognise this issue’s importance and the scale of work that needs to take place to create change.”

The SAWIA awards recognised Taylors for its emissions reduction targets and results, its environmental management systems implementation, its use of low-carbon flat EcoBottles, and its active involvement in the conservation of the endangered White’s seahorse found in Sydney Harbour.

FROM 3 HOURS A WEEK TO 16 MINS – REDUCE YOUR ORDERING TIME BY 91%

THE EBEV ORDERING AND INVOICING PLATFORM IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS STREAMLINING OF BOTH SIDES OF THE WHOLESALE DRINKS BUSINESS. AS WE END THE YEAR, WE SHINE THE LIGHT ON ONE OF OUR ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS AS IT IS SO RELEVANT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW, THAT OF WEEKLY ORDER TIME SAVINGS.

If you have to do the weekly beverage ordering, you know the issues. From time consuming stocktake, logging onto multiple order portals, sending emails to your suppliers just to get those orders in. eBev is the original order consolidator, you can order everything from one platform, yes even kegged beers from CUB and mixers from ALM, its all in the platform.

Better yet, the system holds all previous orders, meaning a few clicks to reorder and you are done. Have a new staff member taking over the purchasing? No problem, all your previous orders, sales rep contacts and unique pricing is all there for your new team member.

Efficiency is the name of game, not only can you reduce your order time, saving valuable staff resources, but as all invoicing is done by eBev and we integrate with most accounting and FOH systems, numerous manual data entry tasks are removed too.

As part of a project to ensure our venues are getting the most from their ordering experience with eBev, we have done a study on the time taken on ordering and venue benefits. In this we looked at over 250 pubs and restaurants of all shapes and sizes. Pre-eBev it took a dedicated staff member three hours a week just to do the ordering, (stock take not included), with eBev this reduced to 16 mins. That’s 142 hours a year or 19 days of staff time saved, the savings mount up quickly. When you add to this the digital invoicing through to the POS, there are another two hours per week of savings.In a time when resourcing is stretched and scarce, eBev can make your hospitality or off-premise business significantly more efficient.

Contact us at admin@ebev.com or 1300 556 081

Bacardi Limited Preparing for a Summer of Cocktails

Bacardi Limited’s premium vodka brand GREY GOOSE is rolling into Australia’s summer with the release of the Essences range in three flavours: Strawberry and Lemongrass, Watermelon & Basil, and White Peach & Rosemary.

The botanically infused spirits are made using real fruit picked at peak freshness, resulting in pure non-confected flavours begging for cocktail use. The GREY GOOSE Essences Spritz is one such example, mixing 3 parts tonic and 1 part Essences vodka for an effortlessly refreshing summer drink made possible by the quality of the spirit. More adventurous bartenders will enjoy the flexibility offered by the range, whilst vodka purists will enjoy drinking the spirit neat over ice or with soda water. GREY GOOSE has a multitude of recipes published on their website.

Essences is one of the first super-premium flavoured spirits to land in the Australian market, where GREY GOOSE has long been a leading vodka brand. Low in calories and gluten free, Bacardi Limited expect their flagship flavoured vodka range to adapt effortlessly to many Australian occasions from picnics and backyard barbecues through to rooftop drinks.

The Essences range hits the shelves at $73.99 with an abv of 30%.

In addition to spritzes, Bacardi Limited is preparing for a summer of Tequila cocktails with Patrón’s ‘Refreshingly Perfect Margarita’. All about easy to make cocktails (three or fewer ingredients), the campaign will inform about Tequila’s flexibility as a base in refreshing summertime cocktails and includes a cocktail recipe database published to Patrón’s website.

To learn more visit https://www.patrontequila.com/cocktails

Magic? More-ish? … Masterful – The Macallan M Collection

The Macallan is widely considered Speyside’s most consistent producer of high-quality single malt scotch. Hence, it is no surprise the release of their coveted Masters Decanter Series is once again causing a stir in the mash bill of whisky afficionados worldwide.

The three-bottle flagship release is a celebration of The Macallan’s six defining pillars: Natural Colour, Mastery, Curiously Small Spirit Stills, The Estate, Exceptional Oak Casks and Sherry Seasoning. In addition to the returning M and M Black is the all new Macallan M Copper: an ode to the famously small stills used. Macallan, founded in 1824, resisted the industry’s shift to larger, higher production copper stills in order to maintain their focus on quality. Pouring a vibrant gold, M Copper has a buttery, viscous mouthfeel and is bursting with fruitiness and sweet malt flavours. It presents in a handcrafted Lalique copper coloured crystal decanter that oozes opulence.

Also in the line-up are the M 2022—a celebration of sherry oak casks—and the M Black—a celebration of mastery using rare, black ended casks that once held peated spirit.

The Macallan Masters Collection is a unification of three masters of their trades: Fabien Baron is a master crystal maker and creative director, Nick Knight is a master photographer and filmmaker, and the whisky making team headed by Kirsteen Campbell are the best at their craft. The Macallan M retails for US$6,750, the Macallan M Black at US$7,600, and the Macallan M Copper at US$8,500.

Tempus Two launches popup gin and wine bar at Melbourne’s David Jones

Iconic Hunter Valley wine brand, Tempus Two has launched a unique pop-up bar at Melbourne’s flagship David Jones for shoppers to experience over the festive period. Open Wednesday to Sunday, the ‘Go Beyond’ gin and wine bar on level one of the new-look department store will serve Tempus Two gin-based cocktails and Copper series wines, as well as a cold, hot and dessert menu designed for sharing and pairing.

The innovative wine brand expanded into spirits in May with its Copper series gin range including a world first Prosecco Gin, a Shiraz Gin and Wild Botanical Gin. The wine brand creatively repurposed the alcohol extracted from their lower-alcohol range to create spirit.

Open on level one of David Jones Bourke Street, Melbourne until early 2023. Opening hours: Wednesday (11am-6pm), Thursday (11am- 8.30pm), Friday (11am-8.30pm), Saturday (11am-6pm), Sunday (11am-6pm).

Benriach The Twelve

Creating the Twelve, Rachel Barrie says she was looking to make a whisky that was “refined and rich, and incredibly smooth.” To do that she has used three different cask matured whiskies: Sherry Cask, Bourbon Cask and Port Cask. These are fused together creating layers of flavours from each; big fruits and a honeyed character from the Sherry casks, a creamy elegance from the Bourbon, and forest fruit characters from the Port. When asked what the master blender herself thinks about as she enjoys the fruits of her labour, Barrie said, “I imagine a beautiful day at Benriach, eating a wonderful forest fruit cake with a little cup of caramel macchiato. Just like the richness of the Sherry casks combined with the Port and the creaminess of the Bourbon, so I hope that people will enjoy that experience too.”

We did. Thank you, Rachel.

Benriach The Twelve retails at $90 and has an abv of 46%. A non-peated whisky, expect a honeyed nose and bright forest fruits coming through with a touch of cocoa.

The palate builds on this with more cocoa and nutmeg, baked fruits, pineapple, and orange before spiciness and hazelnut on the finish. Put simply, a multilayered gem.

without compromise, featuring Four Pillars, Regal Rogue, Casa Orendain, Crawley’s Syrups, Broken Bean, Oscar 697 and Select Aperitivo

Phone: Orders: Socials:

1300DRINKS orders@vanguardluxurybrands.com @moderncocktailco

THE HAHN REFRESH:

Lion Championing Australia’s Original Low-Carb Beer

LEADING AUSTRALIAN BREWER LION HAS ANNOUNCED ITS FIRST BRAND CAMPAIGN IN A NUMBER OF YEARS TO REFRESH THE INNOVATIVE HAHN BRAND. THE MULTI-CHANNEL MEDIA CAMPAIGN WILL RUN ACROSS TV, RADIO, OUTDOOR AND DIGITAL CHANNELS, AND THROUGH VARIOUS TO-BE-DETERMINED SPONSORSHIPS, INCLUDING A PARTNERSHIP WITH SYDNEY’S CITY 2 SURF.

The program will coincide with a major packaging update that aims to reinforce Hahn’s reputation as being a beer with both low carbs and great taste.

“Our campaign taps into several ‘win-win’ moments; Hahn, a beer which is both low-carb, yet doesn’t compromise on taste whatsoever,” said Hahn Brand Director Ed Jamison.

The brand campaign comes at a time when Australian consumers are increasingly seeking out lower carb options. Hahn has

undeniably established itself as Australia’s go-to beer in this category, offering midstrength, gluten-free and light alternatives.

The Great Taste, Low Carb, How Good campaign will be rolled out nationwide by Sydney’s Thinkerbell Creative Agency.

“The work will connect with Australian drinkers increasingly keen to find more mindful beverage choices.”

Sydney-based Lion is one of Australia’s most important beverage companies. With

a history dating back more than 180 years, Lion has been at the forefront of brewing innovation for multiple generations, including recently becoming the first largescale carbon neutral brewer in Australasia.

Its core beer portfolio includes brands such as XXXX, James Boag, Tooheys, Little Creatures, and James Squire, to name a few. In September last year, Lion also acquired the Fermentum Group, which includes the ground-breaking Stone & Wood brand.

Beyond Australia, Lion has also developed an extensive North American portfolio including breweries such as New Belgium and Bell’s along with a number of fine wine businesses.

Lion also has a minority stake in Australian craft spirits distribution arm Vanguard Luxury Brands and has 50% ownership of Four Pillars Gin.

An Unwavering Focus TO DELIVER

WORDS BY Ashley Pini

The retail landscape had never been more competitive. What do you see as the key challenges for LION and what are the key focus points for you in this role? Firstly, can I say how wonderful it is to be back in the Australian drinks industry. I have been lucky to spend a lot of time in pubs, clubs, bars and bottle shops this year, meeting with our teams and customers across the country. I have been reminded once again of what a fantastic drinks and hospitality industry we have in this country – it really is a privilege to be back here, now as an Australian citizen and leading the Lion Australia business.

In saying that, there are some real challenges at present, with the huge increases in input, logistics and excise costs, together with a continuation of strong competition to beer from other categories. Against this backdrop, our focus is clear. We will put the consumer at the heart of everything we do, invest significantly behind our brands and the beer category to create value for our customers and the business.

Customers have told me they love the potential in our portfolio with the leading position in craft beer, the number one brand in mindful choices with Hahn, the leadership in non-alcohol beer, and our core beers of XXXX, Toohey’s, the fast-growing premium beer in Byron Bay and the State Classics of Emu, Swan, West End and Boags. Our focus is to invest in these brands. Whether it’s at the tap bank at the local pub, club, bar, or the fridge or cool room at the bottle shop, we want to be first choice with

consumers to help our customers and the beer category grow.

We are also focused on being easy to do business and grow with. For example, the launch of the award-winning Lion Marketplace app has redefined our digital ordering platform, making life simpler for our customers. The fantastic customer feedback it has received validates our ongoing investment in our digital customer experience.

At the end of the day, our business is about great brands, an unwavering focus on delivering for our category and customers and building an outstanding team operating in a culture that helps them be at their best.

One of the highest profile purchases in recent history has been that of Fermentum (producers of Stone and Wood). How excited are you to have that brand in your portfolio and what role does it play alongside your other craft beer brands?

We are thrilled to have Fermentum as part of the Lion stable. It’s a wonderful business with a fantastic team and I think we are both learning a lot from each other.

Craft beer is a vibrant and exciting part of the drinks landscape and importantly, it drives engagement and premiumisation in

DAVID SMITH, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF LION AUSTRALIA, IS BACK ON AUSTRALIAN SOIL AND AT THE HELM OF SOME OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST LOVED BRANDS. SOME MORE ESTABLISHED THAN OTHERS, BUT ALL WITH A ROLE TO PLAY IN AN EVOLVING MARKET.

the beer category – which is important for Lion and for our customers.

With Stone & Wood and Little Creatures as the number one and two brands respectively in craft beer here in Australia, we feel we have a lot to offer our customers here.

We’re really pleased with how Stone & Wood is going 12 months in. Pacific Ale continues to delight more and more consumers many trying the brand for the first time. I know it also delights our customers. For instance, we consistently hear that when Pacific Ale goes on tap in an outlet it quickly becomes a high margin top seller.

Little Creatures has a huge year ahead with increased focus and investment behind the brand, kicking off with its role as the official beer of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and World Pride 2023.

These two brands, alongside our wider craft portfolio including the likes of Kosciusko and White Rabbit, as well as Panhead and Voodoo Ranger – makes for a compelling range of craft beer styles that caters to a wide range of consumers and venues.

How do you build upon the success of mainstay brands such as Tooheys and XXXX, while developing more success stories like Furphy?

The biggest trend that we are seeing in core beer is a trend towards what we call mindful consumption as consumers look to make more informed choices to suit their lifestyles.

We are lucky to have the number one brand in this segment in Hahn. We’ve just relaunched the brand with the core Hahn Super Dry & Hahn Super Dry 3.5 looking sharper than ever and the relaunch of Hahn Ultra as Hahn Super Dry Gluten Free. The range looks superb, and we really excited about the new advertising campaign, “How Good” celebrating the delivery of great tasting beer, low carb beer at full & midstrength and gluten-free.

We are also making a huge investment behind XXXX this year, developing the “Give a XXXX” campaign to celebrate the brand’s commitment to the good life.

XXXX also continued its legacy of giving back to Queensland as the first ever

Australian beer brand to team up with The Great Barrier Reef Foundation, entering into a $1 million partnership as part of a commitment to protect the environment for future generations.

We will also build XXXX Zero, Australia’s first carbon neutral, non-alcoholic beer. Extending the brand’s industry leading sustainability efforts, XXXX Zero has Climate Active carbon neutral certification, with the brand already pledging to use 100% renewable electricity by 2025.

I am glad you asked about Toohey’s. Travelling around regional NSW, I have experienced first-hand just much love there is for the Tooheys brand and I see opportunity to tap into this further.

Finally, Furphy, is fresh from its Melbourne Cup Carnival sponsorship. With Furphy Original & Furphy Crisp lager we have great liquids that we will support and grow with a focus on their Victorian homeland.

Are you now happy with your portfolio offering or is there potential for further purchases?

We are really energised by our current portfolio, which includes plenty of category leading brands. It’s going to be a really exciting summer for brands like Hahn, Byron

Bay, XXXX, James Squire, Stone & Wood and Little Creatures – all supported by some amazing new campaigns and activations.

Lion’s commitment has always been to give our customers and consumers the products they want to suit a variety of occasions, and we’re confident our portfolio – across all categories – does exactly that.

What portion of your business does the Vanguard portfolio represent and is there a plan to increase that?

Vanguard is still a small part of the overall Lion business, but we are thrilled to have such an enviable portfolio of craft spirit brands – with our shareholding in Four Pillars Gin and the wider Vanguard Luxury Brands portfolio continuing to grow and meeting consumer demand for premium spirit options.

We see further opportunities for Vanguard to continue to grow and it’s great to have the brands now as part of the extended Lion business.

As the world moves more towards a greener future, what are you doing to drive environmental and sustainability projects?

I’ve been incredibly impressed with how advanced Lion’s sustainability agenda is

and it’s something we are all proud of and will continue to push further into 2023 and beyond.

As Australia’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer, we continue to have a big focus on direct emissions reduction and that’s evident when I visit our sites across Australia.

At XXXX in Queensland we proudly harvest the sun to power the iconic brewery in Milton, having installed a significant solar array in 2019, which consists of more than 2,000 solar panels, which produce enough electricity to power 150 large homes in Brisbane for a year.

XXXX’s state-of-the-art reverse osmosis plant reuses wastewater – enabling XXXX Gold to be produced at a ratio of 2.8 litres of water for every litre of beer produced, which is approaching world-leading levels of efficiency for brewing.

Both the Tooheys and XXXX Breweries also utilise biogas which replaces natural gas and reduces scope 1 emissions.

In March, Tooheys New released NSW’s first electric beer truck in partnership with BevChain, removing at least 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually from our roads and we announced the launch of XXXX Zero, Australia’s first carbon neutral, non-alcoholic beer.

Lion has also committed to a target of Net Zero in the Supply Chain by 2050, which will see us to tackle Scope 3 carbon emissions in earnest, so this is a major focus of our efforts moving forward and we look forward to working with our partners in the value chain as we all lean into this challenge together.

From a packaging standpoint, over 97% of our packaging is now recyclable and we are phasing out plastic shrink wrap in our secondary packaging by the end of 2025.

Our sustainability strategy is about more than the environment, and we also

want to make a positive contribution to the communities we touch right around Australia. Recognising the vital role that pubs play in their communities, we also continued our proud partnership with mental fitness charity ‘Gotcha for Life’ in 2022 to rollout their flagship ‘Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Woman’ program across regional pubs and clubs with plans to continue this great partnership next year.

Can you outline what LION is doing to build an inclusive culture with both diversity and equal opportunities?

Lion has now been a Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality since 2017 and has done some fantastic work in driving gender diversity across the organisation.

Alongside simply being the right thing to do, we recognise the importance of diversity to things like innovation and growth. With this in mind, we have set a target to achieve gender balanced teams across all parts of the business by 2026 and are tracking well towards this. For instance my Executive team is more than 50% female and our broader Leadership Team that reports to this team, our top 40 leaders in Australia, are 50:50 male/female.

We have also made several meaningful policy changes, including evolving our parental leave policy to remove ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ carer labels, moving to a model of shared care where the same parental leave provisions (12 weeks’ full paid parental leave) are provided to both parents without having to define their role in the caring arrangement. Offering flexibility in how that leave can be taken – either in a block or one day a week, for example, has also led to 50 per cent of people taking up that leave at Lion now being men – the first

time we’ve seen that level of uptake.

At the same time, we increased superannuation payments which are now paid up to 18 weeks. At Lion we already funded 12 weeks’ superannuation on the paid portion of parental leave so this means paying an extra six weeks’ superannuation at the minimum wage. This is an important policy change which aims to tackle the huge discrepancy in superannuation balances between Australian men and women.

We are also really pleased to be extending our commitments in this space to our sponsorships. Early this year, Furphy made a major play into the AFLW by ramping up its sponsorships of the Melbourne Demons, St Kilda Saints, Richmond Tigers and Sydney Swans alongside their AFL teams.

This is the first time a major beer club sponsor has matched its sponsorship commitment across AFL and AFLW teams. We believe it will go a long way to support the clubs and raise the profile of AFLW around the country.

Moving beyond gender, in 2020 we launched Pride at Lion – a group dedicated to driving visibility and equality for Lion’s LGBTIQ+ community and promoting an inclusive working environment in which all team members can be their best authentic selves.

Finally, if we were to have a similar chat in 2 years’ time, what would you like to have changed and what would success look like?

I have no doubt I’ll be reflecting proudly on our terrific brands and how we are executing brilliantly in the marketplace.

Beyond our brands and current portfolio, I think the big opportunity that really excites me is how we can make bring more vibrancy to the beer category - expanding beer’s appeal, making it inviting, appealing and exciting, tapping into the evolving trends and tastes to grow the category.

We have a terrific and diverse range of brands that are well placed to lead this and I’m excited about the work we have coming in 2023 and beyond to help shape the beer category for the future.

“We’re really pleased with how Stone & Wood is going 12 months in. Pacific Ale continues to delight more and more consumers many trying the brand for the first time.”

into

significance

ARE

BEERS YOU’VE DEFINITELY HEARD OF:

COOPERS PALE ALE

Coopers needs no introduction. The largest Australian-owned brewery, they have earnt a firm reputation for high quality and reliable brews made using the Natural Conditioning Method. This, in essence, is a secondary in-bottle fermentation that better retains the beers’ profile by eliminating the need for pasteurisation whilst also extending its shelf life. The Coopers Pale Ale is easy drinking in nature, pouring a deep golden with generous foam and texture. It is also vegan and entirely free of preservatives and additive: attractive sales note for the increasing number of health-conscious consumers.

ABV: 4.5% | RRP: $21.49 per 6-pack (bottles)

Distributor: ALM, Paramount (VIC, NSW), ILG (NSW, QLD),

4 PINES PALE ALE

The 4 Pines Pale is a quintessential example of an American-style pale ale: expect punchy fresh fruit aromas of pine and grapefruit intermingled with a malty biscuit note and a bitter finish. One of Aussie craft beer’s biggest success stories: 4 Pines started as a humble father-son post-surf chat back in 2006. Since then, the beer has built itself an impressive medal collection including gold at both the London International Beer Challenge and the AIBA.

ABV: 5.1% | RRP: $20.49 per 6-pack (bottles)

Distributor: CUB

JAMES SQUIRE ONE FIFTY LASHES

James Squire’s One Fifty Lashes is a cloudy pale ale designed with refreshment in mind. Malted wheat adds complexity whilst a four-hop profile creates fruity aromas with hints of passionfruit, grapefruit, and citrus. Expect a fruity, tropical beer that hasn’t lost its crispness. It’s comparatively low ABV also broadens the occasions it suits.

ABV: 4.2% | RRP: $23.99 per 6-pack (bottles)

Distributor: Lion, Barrel House

STONE & WOOD PACIFIC ALE

The only beer on this list that is arguably not a pale ale, Stone & Wood coined the term Pacific Ale to describe the slightly hazy, heavily sessionable beer brewed to be the ideal beach-side ale. Expect notes of passionfruit, citrus, and tropical fruit aromas and a defining crispness. Stone & Wood Pacific Ale includes a large portion of rolled wheat and is heavily dry hopped late in fermentation to capture the hop flavour but not the bitterness.

ABV: 4.4% | RRP: $23.49 per 6-pack (bottles)

Distributor: Lion, Direct

YOUNG HENRYS NEWTOWNER

First brewed in 2012 to celebrate Young Henrys’ home turf of Newtown, Sydney, their flagship beer has since made a name for itself nationwide. Made using Australian malts and hops, the Newtowner has a slightly weightier palate that blends fruitiness with bitterness; in other words, embodying Newtown’s music-centric grunge in place of being a beer for the beach.

ABV: 4.8% | RRP: $22.49 per 6-pack (cans)

Distributor: Direct, Kaddy

Beer BEERS YOU SHOULD’VE

HEARD OF:

Other than cost and batch size, the most important factor separating premium craft beer from the rest is beer’s fragility: from the moment a beer is canned, its fresh hop profile begins to deteriorate. There are various techniques larger brewers use to combat this, which—to put it simply—dull down the initial hop flavours in order to prolong its consistency. Being core-range, the beers below will have undergone some of these processes but to a lesser extent; resulting in much clearer fresh fruit flavours. The real deal in craft beers, though, is the constantly changing (and very rarely repeating) world of limited releases, where breweries such as the below make zero compromises.

ONE DROP HAZY PALE

This hazy pale is hazy in colour and juicy in flavour. Following on from the success of the hazy IPA category, hazy pales transplant the plush and juicy fruit sweetness of their bigger brothers into more sessionable styles. One Drop has added a heavy dose of oats to the mashbill to create a plush and silky mouthfeel bolstered by low bitterness: expect juicy mango and an intriguing malt character. Whilst this beer doesn’t push too many boundaries, One Drop has earnt the reputation of being one of Australia’s most experimental breweries: think Double Vanilla Custard Pancake Imperial Nitro Thickshake IPA!

ABV: 4.5% | RRP: $25 per 4-pack (cans)

Distributor: Direct, Kaddy

TWO BAYS GLUTEN FREE PALE

While some beers test as ‘gluten undetected’ due to a brewing process called Brewers Clarex (Wayward brewing, Bentspoke Barley Griffin), Two Bays are proudly gluten free with a Coeliac Australia endorsement to show for it. Two Bays uses a malt base of millet, buckwheat, and rice to support Citra and Cascade hops for a fresh beer with citrus aromas. Every Two Bays beer is vegan, gluten free, and Kosher certified; positioning it right at the forefront of premium options for gluten-intolerant customers. Two Bays offer an additional 6 beer styles along with the budget GFB lager.

ABV: 4.5% | RRP: $26.49 per 4-pack (cans)

Distributor: Direct, Kaddy, Paramount

BALLISTIC BEER CO. HAWAIIAN HAZE

This brew might be on a few more of your radars, but—on the off chance it isn’t—this is why it’s one of our favourites. Consistently placing in the top ten of Gabs’ Hottest 100, this hazy pale is similar to One Drop’s in that it has a soft and pillowy mouthfeel and bucketloads of tropical fruit flavour, however it wins out in terms of value: very few hazy pales at this price point share such luscious tropical fruit flavours.

ABV: 4.6% | RRP: $20.49 per 4-pack (cans)

Distributor: Paramount,

SAMUEL SMITHS ORGANIC OLD BREWERY PALE ALE

Whilst it sometimes feels that that the premium beer world is evolving by the second, Samuel Smiths is happy following tradition and hence appeals to import beer drinkers looking to try the trending style. Established in 1758, Samuel Smiths is Yorkshires oldest brewery and continues to use water drawn from a 25 metre well and conduct fermentation in traditional ‘stone Yorkshire squares.’

The result is a richer and fuller mouthfeel with a distinctly malty base. The brewery recommends a warmer serving temperature of 11°C.

ABV: 5% | RRP: $14.50 per single 550mL bottle

Distributor: Bidbeer

BRIDGE ROAD FREE TIME

The alcohol-free category is currently booming, and—in terms of tasting like the real deal—nonalcoholic beers are arguably leading the charge. This is largely due to the greater flexibility brewers have when brewing sans alcohol: whereas alcoholfree wine is generally just grape juice and water, beer is able to play with ratios of water, malt, hops, and yeast. Bridge Road’s Free Time is a vibrant and juicy pale ale with low bitterness, a clean finish and loads of tropical flavours. Great for any occasion.

ABV: <0.05% | RRP: $10.90 per 4-pack (cans)

Distributor: Kaddy

Pale Ales are on trend, and for good reason.

THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN A PERFECTLY BALANCED, DELICIOUS COCKTAIL MADE WITH TOP SHELF SPIRITS AND INGREDIENTS. BUT SOMETIMES THERE’S NOTHING WORSE THAN TRYING TO GET ONE AT A SUPER BUSY BAR AT THE PEAK OF SERVICE.

Enter MoCo. MoCo is all about delivering deliciously crafted cocktails on tap, ensuing world-class cocktails every time, without the stress or the wait.

We’ve brought together some of the world’s best local and international premium spirits, great ingredients, the best people, know-how and techniques to create an innovative range of ready-to-serve, handcrafted cocktails that bridge the gap between uncompromising quality and convenience for the perfect serve every time.

MoCo is available across 5 drinks to streamline your Summer service:

• FOUR PILLARS BLOODY SHIRAZ GIN SPRITZ: A refreshing, easy-to-drink spritz with a rich vibrant colour. Using a big base of Aussie favourite Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz gin, giving it a sweetness that is perfectly balanced by a dryer rose vermouth.

• PINK GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITA: An approachable twist on a classic Margarita using one of the oldest family-owned tequilas in Mexico, Casa Orendain.

• FOUR PILLARS NAVY STRENGTH GIN MULE: A local twist on the classic Moscow Mule, combining the worlds most awarded Navy Strength Gin from Four Pillars with Australian made ginger beer, fresh lime, and mint.

• FOUR PILLARS NEGRONI: A modern take on a classic that everyone can appreciate. Using Four Pillars Spiced Negroni Gin, designed specifically for

a Negroni, a perfect balance of spice and citrus while championing those classic bitter notes from premium Italian vermouth and bitters.

• ESPRESSO MARTINI: Is an allAustralian cocktail using Broken Bean coffee liqueur, cold brew from the experts at Onyx Coffee and Australian small batch wheat vodka from New South Wales.

Rewild is a product of Duxton Vineyards which is a certified member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia.

Ground ZERO for non-alc wine

THIS YEAR HARDY’S RELEASED ITS FIRST ZERO-ALCOHOL WINE RANGE. HARDY’S ZERO IS PRODUCED USING STATE-OF-THE-ART DE-ALCOHOLISATION TECHNOLOGY, ZERO TECH X. EDITOR MELISSA PARKER PUT THE WINE TO THE TEST AND WITH HARDY’S ZERO WINEMAKER, VIKI WADE, TASTED HARDY’S ZERO SPARKLING, CHARDONNAY AND SHIRAZ AND DISCOVERED THERE IS A LOT GOING FOR THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DELIVERING ZERO-ALC WINES WITH FLAVOUR AND VARIETAL NUANCE.

What makes Hardy’s ZERO stand out?

You dream about releasing a wine that’s going to be flavoursome and balanced and we hope, leading the market in quality. It’s also the lowest sugar of any of these zero alcohol varieties on the market. We think this range is very exciting. We hope people try it and fall in love with it.

Can you explain the winemaking process of making de-alcoholised wine with this new technology?

Let’s start with the Chardonnay. We identified a really bright varietal Chardonnay that we’re really proud of because we believe you must start with the fundamentals of a very good base wine before you de-alcoholise it. The one we chose has lovely ripe melon with everything in balance including the right texture with natural acidity.

Then you go about your dealcoholisation process. There are different types of de-alcoholisation, but the new innovation we are utilising is gentle. We have found through all of our innovation testing, competitor tasting, and group work that this form of technology delivers brighter, softer, and varietal wine. It’s done at lower temperatures; it’s done under vacuum and allows for skilful

blending afterwards. As a company, we use all different forms, but the one that we use specifically for ZERO gets the lowest possible result in alcohol at under 0.05 %. The result is the wine you are looking at today. We have done lots of low alcohol projects. We’d used state of the art technology before. But this brand-new technology that was identified to give the best possible results is really exciting and it’s the way of the future.

I must say, I really taste the varietal characters.

That’s what we wanted. We really wanted the nice bright melon, the soft integrated oak, nice balanced acidity and length that’s in the wine to carry over without the alcohol. We let them sit on the yeast lees and build up complexity and a little bit of texture and additional flavour that you get from not rushing the process. But for us the most important thing was balancing out the sweetness level because lots of (non-alc) wines on the market are cloying, excessively sweet, dominating the palate. You shouldn’t just be switching to sugar, otherwise you should be drinking grape juice. So, our wines are a good, healthy alternative to normal alcoholised wines because they are low in sugar too.

How do you think Hardy Zero measures up to other non-alc wines on the market?

We didn’t like what we saw on the market. We were not enamoured with the flavour profiles. They looked like dry white; they didn’t look like Chardonnay.

What else is important about producing non-alc wines?

As soon as you make it you have to bottle it. It needs to be packed within 48 hours.

Because it’s perishable right?

Yes, there is no alcohol to protect it. So, we schedule all our packing around ZERO because it is so subject to oxidation. So yeah, the most important thing is packaging it.

And then you’ve got to put the ingredients on the back of it and consume within three days and keep it in the refrigerator. It’s like a whole new world for a winemaker, isn’t it? Yeah, it is. When you see the label approval and the team looking at nutritional analysis and nutrition panel testing. We have a state-of-the-art lab here. It did put the microscope on us and our capacity to deliver to spec, to

standards. Because we have to approach it as a food. It was a new world and it really is another string to our bow.

What do you love most about making non-alc wines?

It’s highly scientific, and is all about collaboration between the departments, lots and lots of meetings, lots of tastings, but it has been a lot of fun to see the final product.

Every wine in this range starts with a selection of base wines. The most exciting part about being a winemaker is that blending and learning the skill of blending, the art of blending. Finding the balanced acidity and the sweetness levels. So that was critical for us, was delivering a wine that isn’t destroyed by removing the alcohol. It’s still got to be really, balanced and flavoursome.

What would you say to the consumer who is a non-believer in good quality non-alc wines?

I can totally sympathise with people who are sceptics. I really challenge these people to revisit and have an open mind. No one likes change but once you embrace it, it just becomes part of your mantra going forward. We need to get over that sort of traditional approach that we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve always done. I think that this is a real shift in the whole industry. I feel like it’s just the beginning of something big.

I’m really impressed with the sparkling. You would be hard-pressed to tell that apart from a light alcoholic sparkling like a Moscato. Yes, at our recent tasting in Sydney with marketing and sales the sparkling was the favourite. I thought that was the most sessionable; one that you could drink the most of.

And with the Shiraz, you can really taste the red fruit and nuanced oak. The persistence of fruit is something that we really want and after fermentation is some finishing low level oak maturation, but it should be all about spice and brightness. And the critical thing for me

finish sweet, you want it to finish with some structure with a little bit of tannin. And then of course you want it to be able to pair with food.

What’s the future? Are you going to start experimenting with other varieties?

We are looking at different varieties and styles such as rosé and sparkling rosé. Our category is going to grow from the current three. There was also some debate about blending a Shiraz and Cabernet. We can’t rush these things because we’re delivering a high-quality product but, there were lots of discussions about rosé, sauvignon blanc and additional varietals.

THE RTD RENAISSANCE

RTDS ARE THE MOST ROCK & ROLL OF DRINKS. NO RULES, NO LIMITATIONS, NO AWARDS CEREMONIES… JUST PURE PUNK ROCK FLAVOURS AND MARKETING AMPLIFIED LOUD. IT IS INDISPUTABLY THE DRINKS CATEGORY WITH THE GREATEST SCOPE FOR INNOVATION, CREATIVITY, AND DIVERSITY. DESPITE THIS, IT HAS ONLY JUST STARTED OPERATING TO POTENTIAL, WITH THE LAST FIVE YEARS REVEALING NOT JUST RAPID GROWTH AND UPDATED MIXES BUT ENTIRELY NEW SUBCATEGORIES AND FORMATS. WE HERE AT DRINKS TRADE ARE AWARE THAT MANY INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS REMAIN UNENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE PREMIX REVOLUTION AND SO—WHETHER YOU WORK IN ON-PREMISE OR OFF-PREMISE—WE’VE PUT TOGETHER THIS ARTICLE TO HELP YOU GET DOWN AND DIRTY WITH RTDS RIGHT AS CALENDARS FLIP INTO 2023. BY CODY PROFACA

First things first, why you should care. The RTD category is on its way up: IWSR data shows that it has been the world’s fastestgrowing drinks category by volume for four years running, with the coming five years expected to bring in an additional US$11.6 billion of value. These trends are mirrored in Australia, where it was the only category that experienced growth post-lockdown between 2020 and 2021.

SELTZER SEASON

It will come as no surprise to read that alcoholic seltzer is largely responsible for RTDs recent revitalisation. Rising to popularity in 2019, IRI data reports that the Seltzer category is now responsible for 16% of Australian RTD sales and has a net worth $210 million, having grown 282% over the last year. As a result, seltzer shelves are fast getting heavy with 75 brands selling more than 500 SKUs in Australia. One such brand is Fellr, founded by ex-Pernod Ricard Will Morgan and Andy Skora on a shoestring budget in 2020. Andy believes the Seltzer category’s success can be attributed to its broad target market.

“[Seltzer is] pulling from beer for that sessionability and lower carbs and then pulling from RTD because of the sugar aspect of them,” said Andy.

“I think because everyone’s looking for that more-lower-calorie, health and wellness kind of drink I don’t think that trend is going anywhere so I think we will see this category continue to grow,” said Will.

With a seemingly endless array of samples flowing like water from reps to workers, the overwhelming array of seltzers being released from spirits companies and breweries is somewhat overwhelming. Whereas many seltzers are vodka sparkling water mixes, Fellr is brew-based.

“Will and I, we’ve developed a custom brewed base that’s quite different than other seltzers on the market, it has a bit more mouthfeel, bit more complexity in there, and it’s really well balanced.

“We’ve seen that some of our other competitors haven’t quite hit the mark with the liquid so we knew that that was going to be an important aspect.”

One type of seltzer set to boom in Australia is higher ABV options. Australia

was the first country outside North America to receive White Claw’s Surge 6.5% abv range, reflecting the potential for this style in Australia.

“High ABV is something that everyone is throwing their hats into at the moment which there’s definitely a market for,” said Will.

Andy also stressed the importance of onpremise sales for Fellr.

“We’ve seen our tap program really accelerate over the last year, we’ve got multiple venues where we’re the number 1 selling product outselling all beers on tap so I think there’s a lot of room to move in the on-premise space as well.”

“The tap market of seltzers is totally untapped and we think there’s going to be some explosive growth there because we’ve seen amazing response to our product on tap,” said Will.

“It’s definitely a very exciting space.”

Fellr Passionfruit was named Master Brewed Seltzer at the The Spirits Business Hard Seltzer Masters. In addition, Fellr Watermelon won gold, and Fellr Watermelon Margarita won silver. Other flavours in the Fellr range include Mango and Pineapple & Coconut. IWSR data reveals that most (56%) of RTD drinkers say that the regular release of new RTD flavours is the most important factor in establishing a premium image. Similarly, 70% consider flavour to be the key driving influence when purchasing RTD’s.

FLAVOUR FOCUS

While the Seltzer parade might have unlocked the gate, a whole army of new products and categories are following closely in its wake. Four Pillars’ cofounder Stuart Gregor thinks this could play in gin’s favour.

“People may well start looking for more flavour and more integrity.

“[This might be] a consumer that grows out of Seltzer and into something a bit more delicious, basically, and I think that’s where they might land with us.”

One of RTDs biggest strengths is its ability to adapt to markets and occasions. Premium gin and tonic is a prime example in that it hasn’t just encouraged RTD drinkers to trade up but has also attracted the bottled gin crowd.

“What we’re finding is a lot of our Four

“What we’ve ended up with is hyper concentrated gins and as much tonic as we think we need. You get a real hit of Four Pillars flavour.”

Another example is Suntory’s Minus 196, which first hit Aussie shelves in 2021 and has already established itself as a key player in the RTD sphere. The success of Minus 196 can be attributed to four key factors: a growing interest in RTD provenance, interest in calorie count, quality of flavour, and value. As a result, Minus 196 was the worlds 3rd best-selling RTD brand by volume in 2021 behind Part Time Rangers and White Claw.

“Minus 196, via Strong Zero, is Suntory’s Number 1 RTD in Japan” said Stephanie Jericevich, Group Marketing Manager of Jim Beam RTD & Minus 196 at Beam Suntory.

“Aussie’s love Japan, number four travel destination, and many travellers have experienced the category whilst visiting.”

When asked what has driven Minus 196’s

Pillars drinkers who are not RTD drinkers are becoming RTD drinkers because they’ve now found a brand that they think they can trust.

Andy Skora and Will Morgan, Fellr

ALL flavour, no fuss.

success, Stephanie pointed to the allure of technology used.

“Minus 196 delivers to all of these broader category trends whilst also using Suntory’s unique Freeze Crush Technology that freezes and crushes real fruit capturing all-natural bold fruit flavour whilst also delivering to the better for you benefits consumers are seeking.”

Stephanie also believes the RTD category is more ‘direct to consumer’ in that it doesn’t rely as heavily on industry opinions and awards.

“Unlike full spirit or wine for example, many consumers seem to be more open to exploring based on their individual preferences. Potentially retailer led trial mechanics, single cans, small pack formats lower barriers to entry therefore limiting the need to rely on industry opinions or awards.”

In other words, it is more important for liquor industry workers to keep up to date with changes in the RTD category as there are less industry bodies dictating what’s hot and what’s not.

PREMIUMISATION

IWSR data reveals that premium priced RTDs have experienced more growth over the last two years than any other RTD category. This is in large part due to an increase in spirit-based offerings, higher ABVs, and the higher proportion of knownbrand products.

“If you look at the category now, you need to have a recognised brand,” said Stuart.

“People want to trust that the gin is the gin that they like to drink when they’re making one at home.”

The growth of premium priced RTDs is also due to changing customer expectations and a growing demand for premium products. Damian Huon, Director at MEXINK Margaritas, believes the MEXINK business model that is seeing massive successes today would have struggled ten years ago.

“I think in days gone by a product priced at this level might have struggled but the consumer is more educated today and is seemingly comfortable to pay the price of a premium-type product.”

“There’s an obvious trend for premiumisation, I think if you certainly look at the sales data, there is a movement of the consumer to move away from traditional beer/ wine drinking to a more premium product, so it’s certainly an in-trend category.”

MEXINK offer four different fullstrength Margaritas, all with the added convenience of being in a can. It is worth noting that canned cocktails aren’t only enticing home bartenders but also onpremise cocktail drinkers: cocktails at home generally require more capital and time compared to other premix drinks such as gin & tonics and whisky colas. Also, they’re way harder to get right. MEXINK’s hit the shelves at $55 a 4-pack (8 Margaritas).

“Our product is really almost a subcategory and effectively a new category within the RTD space and so there are plenty of cocktail mixing solutions but when you look at the ready to to drink canned cocktail—full bodied, premium mix—I think MEXINK is certainly up there as the number one product and has a significant advantage in the marketplace.”

Damian also predicts that kegged

cocktails will provide massive opportunity for on-premise venues moving forwards.

“We think again for the club or the bar that there’s great value in considering a keg for an on-premise venue. Essentially, you can serve and garnish a cocktail in sub one minute compared to maybe a five or ten minute production for a normal cocktail. There are higher margins associated with buying our kegs and it also may assist venues with staffing issues as they’re all experiencing in the hospitality industry today.

“We’ve had a number of on-premise venues pick us up and they’re doing exceptionally well.”

MEXINK was established in November 2021 and has reinvested its profits into expanding the business, including the construction of a $500,000 factory capable of producing 28,000 cans daily: a testament to growing demand. One of very few companies producing traditional-spec canned cocktails in Australia, it is completely alone in specialising on a single drink. This is likely to play in their advantage, however, with IWSR predicting Agave based spirits to grow 67% over the next four years. MEXINK’s Mexi-Shaken, Coco-Ho, Passion, and best-selling Jalapeño are currently available via ALM in NSW and QLD with plans in place to expand nationwide.

Key competitors to MEXINK include Curatif and Sophisticated Cocktail Co. The former produces a large range of single-serve cocktail cans at $45 a 4-pack and the latter produces 750mL cocktail casks starting at $55. This format has a lot of promise with casks keeping fresh in the fridge for up to six months. The svelte packaging with built-in carry handle has taken a leaf out of the Bagnum wine revolution and is begging for outdoor use, adding to its occasions.

Other emerging subcategories include premium dark spirit RTDs (e.g. Manly Spirits Whisky Highball) and non-alcoholic RTDs (e.g. Lyres and Monday).

THE TAKE

While RTDs may not excite retailers as much as customers, it can be argued that this is of little importance, as they have always benefited from innovative direct

Minus 196 was an instant hit with Australians

to consumer marketing and innovation. It is also clear that RTDs are unmatched when it comes to adapting themselves to occasions—whether through ABV options, lower calorie products, bottle/can/cask format variations, 4/6/10-pack options, different price brackets or extensive flavour ranges— something retailers should be striving to capitalise on. In fact, unlike beer, wine, and whisky where products are all vying for the same customer base, the diversity of RTD means it targets the occasion as much as the person.

It is also clear that category boundaries are blurring. Stephanie has one take:

“Some categories currently cater better to certain needs or moments and whilst there is a lot of category blurring occurring—i.e. Seltzers, Fruity Beer—ultimately the consumer will decide if these offerings better deliver to their requirements and warrant a switch.”

Another take is that this crossover provides scope for opportunity: fruity beer could be placed alongside cherry cider and passionfruit seltzer to give customers a unique shopping experience: after all, these products were arguably designed with the same customer in mind.

RTDs are already ready to rock and rock the boat: just remember that there is often no guarantee of a premix product’s success until it is on the shelves. Not taking a few swings is more dangerous, however, as the RTD category thrives at rapid-fire pace.

BLIND TIGER ORGANIC GIN & TONIC

ADDING FURTHER APPEAL TO THE EXISTING RANGE OF BLIND TIGER ORGANIC GINS FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S ST AGNES DISTILLERY, IS THE RELEASE OF A NEW, LOCALLY PRODUCED, PREMIUM CANNED RTD. BLIND TIGER ORGANIC GIN & PREMIUM TONIC IS AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR RETAILERS AND ON-PREMISE VENUES ALIKE TO TARGET MARKET SHARE IN THIS RAPIDLY GROWING CATEGORY.

Searching the world for the most sustainable, organic botanicals, Blind Tiger Organic Gin is an exotic blend of juniper berries, cassia, coriander, angelica root, citrus peel, summer savory and liquorice root. Blind Tiger Organic Gin & Tonic incorporates the same certifiedorganic gin as the core, bottled Blind Tiger Organic Gin, and is also vegan-friendly.

The handpicked organic botanicals are distilled individually through a small pot still, creating distinctive elements that are drawn on to craft and blend Blind Tiger Organic Gins. The unique components are then blended with organic wheat spirit to create a fine elegant London Dry-style of organic gin. This unique and individualised method for making gin allows the distiller to craft and control the flavours in a similar way a winemaker puts a wine blend together.

Organic farming means that no artificial herbicides, pesticides, or fertilisers are used in the growing of the grain or botanicals they use. This ensures minimal impact on the environment while crafting a spirit that speaks of the clean, green approach they take in making it. Producing locally further reduces the impact on the environment when compared to imported products.

The pack takes its cues from the original Blind Tiger Organic Gin glass bottle product, using the same familial blue tones, and Blind Tiger logo, with the added flavour cue of the cooler, citrusy yellow giving real stand on shelf and fridge.

The fresh spring forest and citrus notes of Blind Tiger Organic Gin are elevated in this fresh, clean moreish mix with premium specially crafted tonic. Heady citrus and unsullied juniper all come to the fore with an earthiness and hint of musk. The finish is long and elegant with a subtle minty-ness and light pepper.

ADAPTING TO CHANGES GRADUALLY, THEN SUDDENLY

ADAPTING TO CHANGE IN COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS IS VITAL FOR A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY, AND RESPONSIBLE SERVICE OF ALCOHOL IS ALWAYS THE PRIORITY.

Jonathan Russell, Head of Policy & Advocacy, Retail Drinks Australia

Jonathan Russell is an award-winning advocate for policy and legislative change, bringing a non-partisan approach and deep knowledge of industry associations to collaborate for change.

With fingers crossed for good luck, this summer will be the first that isn’t affected by nationwide disasters in several years. We are, I think, collectively hoping to get the chance to just relax. Pure and simple.

The fires of 2019/20 were devastating. Then the global experience of COVID led to irreversible changes to how we live, work, and enjoy our favourite drinks.

One thing that hasn’t altered is the industry’s obligation to always focus on serving the community responsibly. This takes constant effort because public expectations keep evolving amidst macro factors that force change (to borrow from Hemingway) “gradually, then suddenly.”

Two trends illustrate this: e-commerce and no- and low-alcohol products.

E-commerce has been around for a long time but was accelerated by COVID, and its application to alcohol sales is also relatively new. Its usage is building fast but still has a lot of room for growth. With more and more people feeling comfortable socialising this Christmas holiday, many will likely become first-time users of the online sale and delivery option.

That it’s still a fairly new concept for many people highlights the need to fulfil the service in a way that maintains the expected high standards for responsible service and why the industry’s Online Alcohol Sale & Delivery Code of Conduct is so important.

As e-commerce matures, we’ll all keep focussing on effective age controls, preventing secondary supply, identifying intoxication, and ensuring deliveries aren’t made in alcohol-free zones (often by the beach).

Delivery partners have a particularly important role in the supply chain and are urged to ensure all riders and drivers know and abide by the rules for dropping off an order. Governments and anyone still undecided on a place for e-commerce in the market will see our collective vigilance over the summer as practical evidence of the commitment to serve responsibly, extending to the e-commerce environment.

A longer-term trend is that Australians are generally consuming less alcohol. This doesn’t mean people’s tastes have changed, but they often wish their preferred drink had less or even no alcohol! The no- and low-alcohol trend was slow to start—especially when compared to places like Germany with its longstanding norm for zero per cent beer—but has now taken off and is exciting to watch.

Being another relatively new concept, however, the community and regulators are still coming to grips with what it means. In NSW, for example, the Government is actively considering how to regulate alcoholfree products.

Alcohol-free products that, in all other senses, look and feel like normal beers, wines and spirits should only be marketed

and sold to adults and only consumed by adults. Luckily, this appears to be firming as the industry consensus. If that holds, the ever-widening range of no- and low-alcohol products will remain a good news story about an old industry innovating to meet the new needs of Australians.

These two examples highlight how all parts of the industry have a role in building on our social licence to ensure its long-term sustainability.

Retail Drinks Australia is the industry association for packaged liquor retailers. Retail Drinks launched the Online Alcohol Sale & Delivery Code of Conduct in 2019, with signatories representing more than 80% of all alcohol purchased online in Australia.

glendalough distillery

glendalough rose gin. glendalough wild botanical gin.

To make this special, small batch Gin we completely rebalance our Wild Gin recipe and redistill it with extra fruit, flowers, spices and, of course, a lot of fresh rose petals. Two varieties of rose are used: the rare and elusive Wild Rose from the Wicklow mountains and the large, fragrant Heritage Rose. They come together to make this light, floral and flavoursome gin. Given the delicate ingredients, it is distilled even slower and more gently than our Wild Botanical Gin with vapor distillation playing a bigger part extracting those essential oils and flavours. After distillation, it is further infused with even more roses to deepen the flavours and impart a lovely pink hue.

a unique & authentic rose petal gin. using fresh & wild roses. no artificial flavours or sweeteners.

HAND-FORAGED, WILD INGREDIENTS. We make gins of a very different quality, made from fresh, wild ingredients. Each day, GLENDALOUGH full-time forager Geraldine Kavanagh ventures into the Wicklow mountains to sustainably forage wild botanicals. The wild native botanicals she picks are quickly transported to the distillery where they are painstakingly slow-distilled to tease out delicate flavours, in very small batches of less than 250 litres. The cut-points are decided batch by batch, by smell and taste (never timed or automated) as if each batch is the first. This brings flavour to a whole other level. The knowledge, experience and hours put in to producing each bottle are what make this liquid so special.

wild irish gin. made from fresh, sustainably foraged botanicals. craft distilled in small batches.

State of the Gin Nation

CAROLINE ASHFORD, AKA THE GIN QUEEN, ASKS IF IT’S TIME GIN DID SOME SHAKING AND STIRRING TO RECAPTURE THE HEARTS OF AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS IN A POTENTIALLY DWINDLING MARKET.

The new category presents opportunities for gin producers in other wine-growing countries, but to date, there are only a couple of other ‘grape gins’ produced outside of Australia.

Speak to any gin expert in the UK, and they will whisper gin is in decline, and the great Ginaissance is ending. Recent figures seem to bear this out, with a 30millionGDP ($53.8million) drop in export sales, highlighting the impact of Brexit and the pandemic. During the same period, tequila recorded a 94% increase in sales, suggesting that UK consumers have a new favourite tipple.

Australian distillers have taken inspiration from gin’s homeland but have given a distinct Aussie twist on this classic spirit. So, should we be concerned that our interest in gin is declining too?

Consumers are notoriously fickle, but Australia has several areas that have the potential to protect the gin category here.

DISTILLERY EXPERIENCES

Australians love nothing better than heading out to visit wineries at the weekend, and now they can visit a gin distillery or two along the way. The wine industry’s ability to create welcoming cellar doors has influenced

how distilleries are built around the consumer experience.

Visitors to distilleries gain a more detailed ‘behind the scenes’ experience than they might at a winery. Gin tastings are offered, often with the distillers themselves sharing the brand’s story, but so is the chance to make gin yourself to take home and share with friends.

One automatically thinks of Four Pillars in the Yarra Valley. In 2019, 5.9 million domestic and international visitors stayed overnight. It represented such a fantastic opportunity for the brand, it recently opened its larger, revamped distillery and now expects to welcome annual visitors of 150-200,000. They will enjoy gin & tonic flights, cocktails and food, and also the opportunity to peek behind the scenes at the bottling line and stills.

Sean Baxter of Never Never Distilling says tourism was a major factor in deciding where he built his home in McLaren Vale. “While it’s known as a wine region, it is also produce-driven with food tours and restaurants. We also benefit from holidaymakers to the area.”

Despite COVID restrictions, Never Never welcomed 85,000 visitors in 2021. Gin lovers spread blankets and took in the views over the Vale while enjoying gin and tonics.

Meanwhile, Western Australia’s Old Young’s Distillery created an approachable and ambitious restaurant ‘Old Young’s Kitchen’, with celebrated chef Rohan Park at the helm. Appealing to those who enjoy a long lunch, the smart-casual diner offers local wines alongside award-winning Old Young’s spirits.

Other distilleries have created an elevated cocktail experience within their distillery.

Naught Distillery in the suburban heights of Eltham in Melbourne has created a lush haven tucked away in the middle of a trading estate. At one end, through a cathedral window-style opening, sits Abigail, the beautiful copper Carl Still. On the left is a full-length bar with beautifully upholstered high stools, and to the right, a bank of cosy booths, perfect for a group of friends. Sipping a Naught cocktail here, you would be forgiven for thinking you were in a high-end city bar.

Hickson House Distilling in Sydney, owned by Mikey Enright and Julian Train of the Barrel House group, which operates The Barbershop and The Duke of Clarence has the Hickson House Bar, where the attention to detail and luxurious feel is showcased in its glittering chandeliers, elegant soft furnishings and a top-notch cocktail menu

Mikey is an industry stalwart with a passion for gin. He also has an eye for design, sourcing all the traditional pub paraphernalia for the fit-out of the Duke of Clarence himself, creating an English pub tucked away opposite the Baxter Inn.

INNOVATION

The recipe for making gin has remained the same for over one hundred years. Then came the “happy accident” when Cameron Mackenzie at Four Pillars gin added Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes to their Rare Dry gin.

When Four Pillars gin launched its Bloody Shiraz gin, it sold out immediately and from 250 kg in year one, Four Pillars is now the largest buyer of Shiraz grapes in the Yarra, purchasing up to 100 tonnes of fruit per year.

Where Four Pillars starts, others follow, and there are now almost 40 “grape gins” in Australia.

Never Never Distilling Co. turned to locally grown Grenache grapes. Head distiller Tim Boast set out to create a light, approachable grape gin that would “look good and work well in cocktails.”

The 2020 release of Never Never Distilling Co.’s Grenache gin — better known as “Ginache” — was made using one tonne of grapes from Chalk Hill Winery and is a fresher, lighter ‘grape’ gin with little tannin.

For Nicole Durdin, Head Distiller at Seppeltsfield Road Distillers, it was a nobrainer to produce a grape gin. “We always talked about the potential of using Shiraz grapes instead of sloe berries,” she says. “It would have been remiss of us not to use grapes from the Western Ridge of the Barossa, famous for its Shiraz.”

The beauty of these gins is consumers can

comfortably select bottlings based on their wine preference and have an idea of the flavour profile before purchasing. This is an exciting new category that has attracted plenty of attention overseas.

This year Seppeltsfield Road Distillers Barossa Shiraz scored 99 points at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, the first gin ever to do so.

The new category presents opportunities for

gin producers in other wine-growing countries, but to date, there are only a couple of other ‘grape gins’ produced outside of Australia.

ASIAN MARKETS

Asian markets have been huge whisky consumers for a long time, but gin is gaining ground, which is an excellent opportunity for Australian gin makers.

I think gin will continue to be extremely popular but cannot afford to be complacent – agave and vodka are both in growth

– Stuart Gregor, Four Pillars.

Naught Distillery

One of the largest opportunities is China.

According to spirits analytics firm IWSR, China is the world’s largest alcohol beverage market by volume and value. However, international spirits only account for about 3% of the total, which presents an opportunity for further growth for international producers.

China’s exciting cocktail bar scene has tapped into the trend of Chinese millennials looking for premium, handcrafted spirits. Consumers are growing more experimental and looking for alternatives to whisky and brandy.

The growth of Chinese gin distilleries, while still small compared to Australia, is in response to China’s growing appetite for lighter, more refreshing beverages. Gin is perceived as a ‘healthier’ option.

The IWSR report points to Millennials as the group driving alcohol consumption globally. China has approximately 400 million people in this sector. Australia should be focusing its attention here!

COLLABORATIONS

Collaborations aren’t anything new, but we do it differently in Australia.

We’ve already touched on the relationships between grape growers and distillers, but there are many other sustainable partnerships.

Four Pillars Rare Dry gin uses fresh oranges in the distilling process. Not wanting the steamed oranges to go to waste, they teamed up with a local producer who turned them into marmalade. This was their first ‘Made from Gin’ product. Now they have more; including Christmas Gin puddings, organic dark chocolate (orange and Shiraz grape) and cheese with a washed rind in stillage - a chai-like water left over from distillation.

Australian fruit farmers are at the mercy of supermarket groups and the weather. An overabundance of produce, or fruit considered of insufficient quality to sell in a supermarket, leaves the farmers in a tricky financial position. Several distillers have taken the fruit and created gin, including Dasher & Fisher, with their strawberry gin. Ambleside uses South Australian citrus to make their annual mandarin gin, an excellent revenue stream for local producers.

UK gin distillers focus on one spirit, while many Australian gin distillers offer other spirits; whisky, rum, vodka and liqueurs. A visitor to your cellar door might not be a gin fan, but there will be something else they can buy.

Distillers producing different spirits add to the innovative nature of the Australian industry. Patient Wolf recently made a limited edition of their Blackthorn Gin that had been aged in ex-Starward Nova Whisky barrels to create a richer style spirit.

The Farmer’s Wife Distillery rests its gin in a former peated whisky barrel sourced from Blackgate Distillery to create its Winter gin.

Stuart Gregor, former President of the Australian Distillers Association, is confident in the future. He says we are still in solid growth in Australia. “I think 6-8% PA YOY at the moment, albeit not quite at the rapid rate of some of the recent years. Post-Covid, we are returning to more “normal” levels as people return to shopping at retail, in bars and with international travel back, at Duty-Free. The resurgence of sales at GTR has been faster than expected, and gin is still flying at Australian airports,” he says.

“I think gin will continue to be extremely popular but cannot afford to be complacent –agave and vodka are both in growth.”

Like everything, trends in alcoholic beverages come and go, and consumers are always looking for the next big thing. We might see a reduction in the number of new gin distilleries and gins being launched, but quality products and innovative styles will maintain consumer interest.

GIN ON SHOW

Orchestrated with panache by Caroline Ashford, aka The Gin Queen, in collaboration with The Gin Foundry UK, Junipalooza is the must-visit event of the year for tasting the latest gin innovations, for special edition gins, or Junipaloozaexclusives such as the Animus Distillery’s Davidsonia Gin. Launched in 2013 Junipalooza celebrates and champions the many faces of this great spirit. Over 100 different gins in all guises were poured, swirled, sipped, analysed and discussed. Sweden’s Hernö, Brighton Gin from the UK and locals, Four Pillars, Patient Wolf, Archie Rose and Seven Seasons were just a few of the great gins on tasting. Drinks Trade conducted a vox pop with some of the distillers to get their thoughts on why Junipalooza is the number one gin event in Australia.

Junipalooza is a great event. Over the years, Caroline has built it to be a fun event for consumers and gin distilleries. Caroline and her team have managed to capture the evolution of the gin industry and showcase it to those who have loved gin for years and are new to experiencing it. It is a great event to catch up with gin producers and industry friends, watch their growth over the years, and see new entrants to the gin space.

Kristy Lark-Booth – Killara Distillery

Junipalooza is always a fantastic event to be a part of. Dan and I always like to create products that are a bit left of centre - to be able to showcase our products, get positive feedback, and a whole lot of love is overwhelming. Also, rubbing shoulders with some of the industry’s most talented producers is always a thrill. To be able to hold our own amongst the industry’s finest is a fantastic feeling. Kristen Lemura – Noble Bootleggers Gin

Junipalooza is an event that provides a wonderful opportunity for us at Big Tree. We love to meet fellow gin lovers and talk about all things gin. We meet so many lovely people, and it is a great way to get up close and personal, chat with people, and get feedback on our range of premium gins. It is a definite must-attend event on the Big Tree calendar. It is an incredibly well-run and organised event for both the distilleries and gin lovers. Catherine Crothers – Big Tree Distillery

We absolutely loved being involved with Junipalooza 2022! It was wonderful to see so many gin lovers enjoying themselves, sampling the wide array of gins and interacting with the makers to discover what makes each unique. The event was, as always, run super professionally, and the crowd was full of educated and interested gin fans. It’s always so much fun to catch up with our gin friends, old and new, at this event. Karli Sepos – The Farmer’s Wife

IT HAS BEEN TWO DARK YEARS SINCE WE ENJOYED THE BEST LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GINS UNDER ONE ROOF. JUNIPALOOZA RETURNED WITH A POST-COVID VENGEANCE, AND GIN LOVERS IN SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE CRAWLED FROM UNDER THEIR GIN & TONICS TO EXPERIENCE THE JUNIPER JOY.

SUMMER TIME ANY TIME

CULTIVATED AND PRIZED FOR MILLENNIA, BLOOD ORANGE MAKES A STAR APPEARANCE IN OUR BLOOD ORANGE GIN.

A citrus-forward gin that combines a sweet, citrusy, but also bitter and complex aroma, with the uplifting accents of orange and lemon myrtle.

The perfect aperitivo to whet your appetite.

The bright and bold profile of Blood Orange Gin is enhanced by the herbaceous notes in an Indian tonic water or a mix of ruby red grapefruit juice and soda. Garnish with a dehydrated blood orange wheel or a slice of ruby red grapefruit.

BLOOD ORANGE SPRITZ

Zesty citrus flavours combine in this effervescent blood orange and grapefruit quencher transported directly from the Amalfi Coast. With sunny citrus treble courtesy of ripe Australian blood oranges, and a moody coriander seed, nutmeg and cardamom bass – all brought to life with a splash of grapefruit soda - this sparkling and fruity sipper sets the tone for a festive and refreshing afternoon with friends, enjoyed somewhere with good vibes and a stunning view.

INGREDIENTS

COCKTAILS

BLOOD ORANGE NEGRONI

A sultry and sophisticated sip built around our Blood Orange Gin, best enjoyed in dimly lit surrounds by those who appreciate a little complexity in both their cocktails and their life. Blood orange takes the place of Campari in this intensely enjoyable play on the classic Negroni, paired with the bright, bittersweet blood orange botanicals in our citrus-inspired gin, and finished with the customary splash of rosso vermouth. While it retains the spirit of the drink that was first poured in Florence in 1919, this deep, orange-forward affair reinvents the negroni for a long Australian dusk.

INGREDIENTS

20ml Australian Distilling Co. Blood Orange Gin

20ml Bitter Orange

20ml Rosso Vermouth

METHOD

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir for 20 to 30 seconds. Pour into a double rocks glass with one large ice cube and garnish with an orange wheel.

40ml Australian Distilling Co. Blood Orange Gin 80ml Prosecco 100ml Sparkling Grapefruit Soda

METHOD

Simply fill a spritz glass with crushed ice. Combine gin and prosecco in the glass and top with soda . Garnish with a grapefruit or orange wheel to serve.

SIGNATURE SERVING

BLOOD ORANGE GIN & TONIC

A colourful, fruity and complex take on the classic mixed drink, spiked with the aroma, flavour and colour of ripe, Australian blood oranges. Few drinks are as perfectly suited to a balmy afternoon than a sparkling gin and tonic, beads of moisture collecting on the outside of the glass as bubbles gather around the wedge of citrus nestled inside it. The combination of ripe Australian citrus, cardamom, nutmeg and coriander seed luxuriating in our Blood Orange Gin elevates this simple but layered drink –created by British troops stationed in India in the mid-1800s – to the ranks of ‘essential summer sipper’.

INGREDIENTS

60ml Australian Distilling Co. Blood Orange Gin

150ml Indian Tonic Water

METHOD

Build ingredients in a stemless wine glass over ice. Garnish with blood orange or grapefruit wedge.

In thespirit of ABSTAINING

THE NOLO MOVEMENT IS HITTING ITS STRIDE AS MORE CONSUMERS CHOOSE A LIFE OF SOBRIETY OR AT LEAST SEMI-SOBRIETY. TEETOTALLER OR NOT, NOLO PRODUCTS ARE SHOWING TASTE IMPROVEMENTS AND CATEGORY EXPANSION LIKE WE HAVE NOT SEEN. WE LOOK AT WHY THE LATEST ITERATION OF NON-ALCOHOLIC BEERS, WINES AND SPIRITS ARE GARNERING A WHOLE LOT OF CONSUMER ATTENTION. IS IT A PARADOX, OR ARE THEY WORTHY SUBSTITUTES FOR THE REAL THING?

By Melissa Parker

Let’s face it. Australia is a drinking culture. We love a good drink, a drinking session. We drink to celebrate. We drink to socialise. It’s like Madame Bollinger said - otherwise, we never touch it unless we are thirsty. In Australia, you could say - what’s wrong with you if you don’t drink? As the pre-Boomers would say - never trust a man who doesn’t drink. Or do we?

Based on the figures, there are an increasing number of untrustworthy people, I jest. So why the burgeoning uptake of non-alc? The simple explanation is that we are a ceremonial species, and we all love rituals but not necessarily the alcohol effects that accompany them. Who doesn’t love celebrating a special occasion with a glass of bubbles, coming home after work on a hot summer’s day and, cracking a beer, enjoying a juicy steak with a glass of delicious red wine? It’s hard to imagine life without these joys; some of us just can’t.

In the past, no and low-alcohol products got a bad rap mainly because they didn’t taste good. Technology advances in production are now delivering non-alcoholic beers, wines and spirits that taste better than ever. And with that, increased consumer uptake and a rapidly expanding category to meet demand. It’s a category that has

evolved from a few products shoved on a corner shelf to devoted retail ranges and specialist outlets. At the same time, not drinking alcohol is normalising, a significant cultural shift for a hard-drinking country.

THE STATS

The 2022 IWSR No- and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study focussing on the following ten markets (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US) reports nonalc, the once ‘sliver’ of the global beverage alcohol market, grew more than +60% in volume and now commands a 3.5% volume share of the industry. The market value of no/low alcohol in 2021 was just under US$10 billion, up from $7.8bn in 2018. The IWSR forecasts that no- and low-alcohol volume will grow by +8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2021 and 2025, compared to regular alcohol volume growth of +0.7% CAGR in the same period. Beer and cider are the largest categories, with a 75% volume share. Non-alc beer is forecast to drive growth at more than +11% CAGR towards 2025. Non-alc RTD and spirit are expected to reach a +14% CAGR. Low-alcohol wine is +20%, and non-alcohol

wine is 9% in the same period.

Australia is one of the four leading markets for innovation in this space along with the UK, the US and France. All four markets recorded double-digit no-alcohol volume growth in 2020-2021, and all four are expected to grow in the years ahead.

HEALTH AND SOBER CURIOSITY

Increasingly, thanks to science, younger generations of Australians have a greater understanding of the impact alcohol consumption has on health. A wave of wellbeing consciousness has washed over us, and consumers are choosing to drink less and better. With the pandemic, sales of alcohol skyrocketed. But what comes up must come down, and those lucky enough to emerge from COVID unscathed ran a mortality check, and health was back on the agenda.

Health is wealth, and we all know moderating alcohol consumption is key to maintaining well-being. Whether consumers give up alcohol entirely or cut down on their alcohol intake considerably by alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, this category is one to watch.

IWSR reports moderation is the most

common reason consumers purchase no and low products, with a significant cross-over between no/low and alcohol consumers. It states 43% of adults purchasing these products also purchase alcohol depending on the occasion. Just 17% report they are buying no/low to avoid alcohol. For those who purchase a non-alc product, two factors drive the purchase - one is to avoid the effects of alcohol (37%), and the other is the taste (33%).

“While January has become a popular month for people to cut back or abstain from alcohol, interest in no- and low-alcohol drinks has increasingly become a year-round trend among consumers across the world,” says Emily Neill, COO of IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

Irene Falcone, founder of e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar retail outlet Sans Drinks, says her sales in the traditional abstaining months of January, February, July and October are ten-fold.

Treasury Wine Estates consumer research backs this with reports that the no/ low alcohol market continues to increase as consumers reach for healthier alternatives.

It reports on a global level that almost half (45%) are looking for health and wellness options in alcohol, 92% of the total wine market is looking to moderate alcohol, and 82% are taking an active involvement in managing their health. (Treasury Wine Estates Conscious Consumption Consumer Quantitative Research, June 2021. Six thousand wine drinkers were surveyed

across six markets, including Australia, the UK, the US and China).

Founder of the Zero Alcohol Wine Show, Angus Hughson from Winepilot, says wellness is a big deal. “Younger people want to change the narrative. People under 25 want to look good for a long time and are looking after themselves – there’s the vanity element, the health element and the exercise element.” He says they don’t want to drink as their parents did.

And the industry is responding.

“Non-alc (beer) is an element of our health and wellness and better drinking agenda”, says Danny Celoni, CEO of Carlton & United Breweries.

CONSUMER PERCEPTION

Irene Falcone says there has been a fundamental shift in society’s perception of consuming non-alcoholic drinks. “A lot of

people thought this was a really hard thing to do because we all love our alcohol and because it’s an Australian thing to do, but it’s not the alcohol we are obsessed with; it’s the drinking. I think that is the key.”

“My audience doesn’t drink to get drunk. We’re just drinking because we are used to it,” explains Irene.

“There is certainly a non-alcohol drink normalisation going on. People are more accepting of their friends who have decided not to drink, and even the alcohol drinkers are looking with sober curious new eyes. They’re people like us, right? We just want to cut down and drink less.”

Treasury Wine Estates consumer research reveals 20% of Australians are looking for alternatives to alcohol, up 11% from 2010, while three of the top four barriers to consuming alcohol products are that consumers prefer their favourite

What price do we place on the mere existence of non-alcoholic spirit that finally allows the sober consumer to be involved and included in a traditional alcohol occasion? Perhaps it’s priceless.

brands (34%), their preferred brands are not available in non-alc (22%) or a dislike for the taste (20%).

Whichever way we look at it, nonalcoholic drinks mimicking their traditional alcoholic counterparts are changing the landscape of drinking forever. Technology and innovation will continue to develop and improve to see these products get so close to the real thing that we could be in for a real reckoning of consumer choice in the future.

INNOVATIONS IN TASTE

Beer leads the trend in non-alc because it has been perfecting the flavour and taste for some time. The hard work has paid off. For some brands, you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference in a blind tasting. Nonalc beer starts as regular beer and is either exposed to high heat to remove the alcohol, vacuum distilled - lowering the alcohol boiling point to retain flavour, or passed through a filter to remove the alcohol using reverse osmosis.

“I think the craft beers are just terrific, but even beers like Great Northern Zero are doing great work,” says Irene.

“Peroni has brought out a new beer, and it is terrific. I mean, they’ve really nailed it. The German beers are fantastic as well.

Local brand Heaps Normal says its secret to great tasting non-alc brew is its unique recipe, brewing method and non-traditional yeast. Heaps Normal Quiet XPA was named Country Winner at the World’s Best Beer Awards.

Spirit is arguably the hardest to replicate because of the high percentage of alcohol. Non-alc spirit – if you can even call it that – can be made by removing the alcohol through evaporation. This can be an expensive way of doing it, but it results in a more authentic taste. Other methods include maceration, percolation, infusion or cold-pressing.

Some spirits look like gin but are not trying to be gin, like Seedlip, which started as a distilled spirit and had the alcohol removed. Then there is the non-alc spirit trying to replicate the original, like Lyres, Gordon Zero and Four Pillars Bandwagon. The difficulty with spirit is replicating the warmth and the weight of the alcohol. Four Pillars chief distiller Cameron McKenzie said they tried many recipes to try and replicate palate weight and heat, throwing out a few recipes before landing on using chilli in the mix.

Non-alc wine can still be a bit hit and

miss. Some are certainly winning awards. Wolf Blass Zero Shiraz won Best Red Wine at the Zero Alcohol Wine Show. Angus Hughson says, “The category is growing at an exponential rate like nothing has ever done before, and I put (the show) together because wine shows were originally set up to ‘improve the breed’.”

While Australian non-alc wine has come a long way, Angus says the New Zealanders are ahead of us regarding taste and experience. “The Kiwis have been working on this for more than a decade. We’ve really just started. They are ahead of us. We just shoved some cheap stuff in a bottle, whereas they said, how can we make this quality.”

The only New Zealand producer selling non-alc wine in Australia, Giesen has been selling its non-alc wine in the market for over three years. The brand has experienced excellent growth of 15% yearly and continues to perform well. It is the number one selling non-alc wine in the over $10 category in Dan Murphy’s.

“We are seeing lots of great opportunities arise through non-alc. I see it as a huge opportunity”, says Dan Chorley, Giesen’s Australia’s Country Manager.

“The pandemic played a pretty important part too. Both the no and low categories exploded, but it was always likely to happen; it just happened faster.

Giesen uses spinning cone technology to remove alcohol, allowing for more flavour and less residual sugar. Giesen wines now

You can’t really go wrong with beer. All the beers are great.”

FOR WHEN NOTHING IS BETTER

WHY SETTLE WHEN YOU CAN SOAR?

Wolf Blass Zero contains no more than 0.5% alcohol/volume due to alcohol removal process.

span ABVs from 0% to 6% to 12%. Dan says it makes for a nice brand consistency when people want to moderate or abstain.

“It’s getting great uptake from the retailers in both non and low-alc, and we will see a lot of growth in that category over the next 12 to 18 months and a lot more exciting varieties coming through. We will also see innovation and formats such as magnums and smaller formats. There is also a huge opportunity in on-premise.”

Dan says getting consumers on board with the non-alc wines is down to the producers and education, which he says to expect more of, and which will undoubtedly help with understanding how it’s produced and tastes.

“I think the consumers are still stuck in that mindset that it just tastes rubbish, whereas I’m really stunned at some of the

stuff coming out at the moment. With the new technology and the production methods, some are just extraordinary.”

Jeanne Cato, Head of Product Innovation for Treasury Wine Estates (TWE), says their work has shown that some varietals are better suited for dealcoholisation with current technologies. The TWE range of no and low-alc includes Squealing Pig, Wolf Blass and Lindemans.

“We’ll continue to test and learn in this area,” he says. “Varietals with elevated distinct recognisable aromatics and varietal flavour compounds deliver the best NOLO wines, for example, Riesling with its lovely terpenes and Sauvignon Blanc with fruity thiols.”

Jeanne says the more neutral the varietal character, the harder it becomes to deliver a distinct and attractive profile.

“Removing alcohol changes how your

palate and saliva reacts to tannins (and other compounds) which are soluble in ethanol, not water – managing tannins in the base wine produce a final product with a nice soft tannin structure. It is important to manage acidity in the base wine as de-alcoholisation tends to concentrate acids.”

“We are pushing the boundaries with no and low-alcohol wine as a key part of our innovation. We are up for the challenge of retaining the essence of the premium wine experience without alcohol. It is a key priority because we know through consumer insights that the credibility is growing fast and is driven by consumer taste – a key barrier to broader acceptance and consumption,” says Jeanne.

Jeanne says Treasury Wine Estates is leveraging its premium winemaking credentials, global reach and diverse portfolio of brands to lead in this growing segment. TWE is also leveraging partnerships with industry pioneers worldwide, including those in flavour science, cutting-edge technology and technical solutions to crack to code of great

Irene Falcone, Sans Drinks

tasting non-alc wine.

Chief Marketing Officer at Accolade Wines, Sandy Mayo says, unlike old technology, the newest technology available for de-alcoholising wine is much gentler on the wine and doesn’t strip it of its flavours and mouthfeel.

“With Hardy’s Zero, we are introducing consumers to a (non-alc) wine with a brand that has a really high trust in the market so they can be rest assured on quality,” she says.

“I also think consumers need to understand that zero-alcohol wine will never taste like full-alcohol wine, but they’re really delicious alternatives,” Sandy concludes.

Irene Falcone says, in her opinion, there’s only one wine brand nailing the taste, and that’s Next Destination. She says that’s because it targets the more serious wine drinker with its vintage and regional credentials, such as its McLaren Vale Chardonnay 2018 or its Barossa Valley Shiraz 2018. The Sans Drinks site almost crashed when a writer from the Herald Sun compared the Next Generation Barossa Valley Shiraz with Penfolds 389.

“I sold 7000 bottles of it in a day. It almost killed my business!” Irene exclaimed.

ROUTE TO MARKET –RETAIL

What do non-alcohol products mean to retailers? Most importantly, a licence is not required, so it is a very open market.

“In the US, an increasing number of non-alcohol-specific retailers are launching,” says Adam Rogers, research director for North America at IWSR. “These include e-commerce platforms, as well alcohol-free bars and retail stores in major cities. Nonalcohol products can be sold anywhere with no restrictions, including online through major retailers like Amazon. By contrast, the sale of traditional-strength spirits remains largely limited in major online retailers.”

Jeanne Cato, TWE.

When Irene Falcone founded her online business, Sans Drinks, she turned over $10 million in the first year and has since acquired e-commerce business Craft Zero, opened a bricks-and-mortar store in Freshwater, with a deal with Westfield to roll out one store a year.

All the major liquor retailers are now acknowledging the category and shifting range architecture to accommodate NOLO with greater in-store significance.

On-premise is also getting a look in. Dan Murphy’s opened a pop-up in Melbourne’s Hampton called Zero% for a few months so consumers could immerse themselves in the possibilities of non-alc and taste what was on offer.

“Dan’s Zero % was a fantastic way of getting consumers to try these brands because they need to, particularly with wine,” says Sandy Mayo.

Melbourne is also home to the first permanent non-alcohol bar in Australia. Brunswick Aces is a non-alcoholic bar, bottleshop and distillery crafting a zero % intensely flavoured gin-like distillate called Sapiir. It serves over 100 different non-alc wines, beers and spirits.

An expanding range of on-premise establishments is embracing the new category. Madame Brussels offers a non-alc drinks menu called ‘For those who abstain’, and the Victoria Hotel in Footscray hosted the Dry But Wet Discovery Series this year. Each Sunday afternoon, punters took a ‘deep dive’ into the world of non-alc drinks from spirits to wine to beer and Ready to Drink. In Sydney, you can head to Seadrift Distillery and So-Bar in Brookvale, Australia’s first alcohol-free distillery.

PRICE AND THE COMPARISON

It’s a tough one. There are the naysayers out there saying how dare these companies

charge a similar price point to real spirit for botanically infused water. Does the process justify the cost, and is the result worth it? This might be the case with some products from a practical production standpoint, but philosophically what price do we place on the mere existence of non-alcoholic spirit that finally allows the sober consumer to be involved and included in a traditional alcohol occasion? Perhaps it’s priceless.

Should it be called spirit or even gin, whisky, or vodka? No, because it isn’t. The definition of a spirit is a strong distilled alcoholic drink. Four Pillars decided to avoid using the word ‘gin’ altogether and named their non-alcohol product, Bandwagon. Lyre’s also avoids specific spirit descriptors but still uses the term spirit on its labels. The wine companies are labelling their non-alc products as wine-based. It’s a tricky situation because, as a relatively new category, it is a fine line between educating the consumer and using the correct terminology.

THE DOPAMINE EFFECT

Scientific studies show that non-alc drinks trigger the same dopamine in your brain as alcoholic drinks.

One such study concluded they “found no differences in acute brain reward upon consumption of beer with and without alcohol when presented in a context where regular alcoholic beer is expected. This suggests that in regular consumers, beer flavour rather than the presence of alcohol is the main driver of the consumption experience.”

In conclusion, while consumers want to be part of the social drinking ritual, there will continue to be a strong demand for no and low-alcohol beverages to replace their alcoholic counterparts. Emily Neill, COO of IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, says the brands dominating the no/low space will successfully navigate the barriers of taste, price, pack format, availability and general consumer education. And let’s remember the dopamine effect.

“Varietals with elevated distinct recognisable aromatics and varietal flavour compounds deliver the best NOLO wines, for example, Riesling with its lovely terpenes and Sauvignon Blanc with fruity thiols.”

©Hervé FABRE-CIVP

Leading the field in the On-Trade PROVENCE WINES

THE RISE OF PROVENCE ROSÉ SEEMS UNSTOPPABLE, OTHER THAN A SMALL REDUCTION IN IMPORTS IN 2020, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, AUSTRALIA’S SEEMINGLY UNQUENCHABLE THIRST FOR THE ORIGINAL PALE AND DRY PREMIUM ROSÉ CONTINUES UNABATED.

Here we talk to key members of the Trade on their take on Provence wines, why they are so popular in their venues, and what’s getting them excited about all things Provence pink.

According to Adrian Filiuta MS - Group Sommelier Merivale, “freshness, lightness,

and ease of drinking across multiple occasions are driving our Provence sales. Rosé = summer. Guests recognise the name Provence and associate it with the place and quality. For me the reds of Provence also excite, herbal scented, food-friendly, structured but not overpowering.”

“Provence Rosé is in a great position in the hospitality industry, it is essential when creating wine lists – whether it’s a pub, fine dining restaurant or casual wine bar/ eatery, you need a premium Provence Rosé or possibly two.” Louella Mathews – Group Sommelier Trippas White

Image

IT’S ALL ABOUT QUALITY

Bridget Raffal, Owner of Where’s Nick, says “I’m excited about the increasing quality - It’s a category that in years gone by I may have been tempted to think of as a little simple, but I’ve opened a few bottles recently that have really impressed. A lot of nuance and complexity from lees work with a broader array of fruit than the typical grapefruit or strawberry aromas. They’re also best friends with tomatoes, anchovies, garlic - all the best things.”

Louella Mathews - Group Sommelier Trippas White continues, “It is exciting to see the drive in creating more premium and higher quality rosés and seeing the differentiation in regions, subregions and even single plots.”

MAGICAL PROVENCE, LINKING PLACE AND WINES TO MEMORIES

The similarities between Provençal and Australian lifestyles is clear, a love of the great outdoors, alfresco dining and celebrations, and a hugely varied choice of eating out options. Tying up experiences shared within a bottle is a great way to sell a little Provence magic.

Bridget Raffal says “I lived there for a year in 2013, and we would spend the weekends exploring the region in a little van. We spent one such weekend in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, buying antique copper pots at the vide grenier in the morning, a raspberry tart in one

hand and a pissaladière in the other. We spent the afternoon drinking mauresques on the café terrace and then camped that night in an old olive grove, surrounded by the landscapes that inspired many of Van Gogh’s most famous works, eating pizza with local goats cheese, lavender honey and thyme. What heaven.”

The dream, says Katarzyna Sobiesiak of Wine Front, is “drinking Provence rosé in the lavender fields and discovering the lavender aroma in the rosé itself. At sunset, of course! But really it’s closer to home, drinking at the beach on a picture-perfect day.”

THE EVOLVING ROSÉ CATEGORY

Provence is the leader in premium rosé, but how does this fit with the Australian market and how will the market evolve?

John Clancy – Wine Consultant, says “Provence rosé has such a strong reputation that has been built up over the years through consistent quality. Having in-depth tastings, guided by experts is very useful for the people in the trade. Sommeliers and floor staff who have a better understanding of the region and its varied wine styles can offer enhanced experiences for the customer.”

“The category is definitely growing”, notes Adrian Filiuta MS, “with more brand-led activity and promotions and more premium offerings coming into the market, Provence will continue to lead the category”. Louella Mathews continues, “one of the great things about Provence rosé is its accessibility. They are great value in comparison to other red and white fine wines but are still perceived as a luxurious and high-quality wine.”

Bridget Raffal, “Provence rosé’s strength is in its consistency - the category is synonymous with dry, pale, textured wines that are universally pleasing, and versatile in terms of food pairing. It’s also a beautifully accessible part of the wine world. Provence rosé will always be the reference point for rosé wines - and that’s no bad thing.”

Image ©SOWINE-CIVP

Image ©SOWINE-CIVP

DRINKS TRADE IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE AUSTRALIAN WINE LIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS, THE INDUSTRY’S MOST ACKNOWLEDGED AND SORT AFTER AWARDS FOR THE NATION’S BEST WINE AND BEVERAGE LISTS. THE AUSTRALIAN WINE LIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE 1993 AND IS CONSIDERED THE PINNACLE OF RECOGNITION FOR THE EFFORT AND SKILL SOMMELIERS AND RESTAURANTEURS DISPLAY ACROSS A WIDE ARRAY OF SETTINGS; FROM SMALL BARS, PUBS AND CLUBS TO THE COUNTY’S FIVE-STAR DINNING VENUES – ALL VYING FOR A ONE, TWO OR THREE GLASS RATING. OR EVEN THE JUDY HIRST AWARD FOR THE SOMMELIER WHO CRAFTS AUSTRALIA’S WINE LIST OF THE YEAR.

Australian Wine List of the Year Awards

The 29th edition of the awards signalled the return of the restaurant following the difficult lockdowns of COVID-19, the awards returned to an in-person event at Sydney’s 12-Micron in Barangaroo following two years of virtual ceremonies. Brisbane venue Cru Bar + Cellar was named Australia’s Wine List of the Year with sommelier Chris Walker receiving the coveted Judy Hirst Award for the Sommelier responsible for the winning List. In addition to taking out the major award, Cru Bar + Cellar also took the titles of Australia’s Best Wine Bar List and Australia’s Best Champagne List. Other finalists for the main Australia’s Wine List of the Year Award in 2022 included Sydney’s Bennelong and Melbourne’s Cutler & Co.

The Awards continued to grow with record entries recorded once more, even compared to pre-COVID event years, a statistic that Chairman of Judges Peter Forrestal is pleased to see for the wider industry.

“We’ve seen the resilience of the hospitality industry in incredibly difficult times during the pandemic. Although many are still doing it tough, Australia’s Wine

List of the Year in 2022 suggests that the industry is hitting back,” Forrestal said.

“Entries in the Awards are at an all-time high. The number of restaurants achieving a three-star rating exceeded 200 for the first time, and there is similar strength in the two glass ratings. Judging by the quality of the lists, sommeliers have never been better trained. If stocks were drained during the pandemic, they are back to normal now.

“Brisbane’s Cru Bar + Cellar has finally won Australia’s Wine List of the Year after 20 years at the top of its game. Cru first drew our attention as the winner of the Best List in Queensland in 2004. Since then, it has just about won every award on offer (but not Best Small List). Possibly Cru’s three wins of Australia’s Best List of Wines by the Glass signalled its intentions, and more recently, a complete revamp of the design of their list reinforced their claims to be among the nation’s elite. Their support of the fledgling Queensland wine industry is noteworthy. Chris Walker has Cru humming like never before: it’s a place to taste (around 80 wines) by the glass, to shop, and to dine with some divine Champagne and a lovingly cellared red. It’s deservedly Australia’s Wine List of the Year in 2022.”

This year, the judges ushered in a new recognition as part of the judging processthe Wine List Service Award. Over recent

years, there has been feedback from industry professionals for an award that recognises and rewards those venues and sommeliers who demonstrate that they understand the critical importance of cellar storage, ‘by the glass’ preservation, and service of wines in exceptional quality glassware. Therefore, venues that have invested in temperaturecontrolled refrigeration or infrastructure, preservation systems for ‘by the glass’ service, and premium glassware are given additional recognition to symbolise their attention to detail when it comes to wine care and service.

In its inaugural year, 138 venues entered this award, with 51 venues ranked as being at the ‘Three Glass’ level and therefore receiving the 2022 Wine List Service Award Seal.

“Exceptional service of wine is becoming increasingly important to the overall dining experience. Diners’ expectations have increased to the level where they anticipate a wine to be served at the right temperature and in the correct glassware. Even further, there is a growing demand to experience icon or aged wines without investing in an entire bottle. Venues have responded ahead of the trend - building the necessary tools in their venues to cater to increased demands from diners. This new Wine List Service Award recognises that,” Australia’s Wine List of the Year Founder, Rob Hirst said.

CRU BAR + CELLAR WINE LIST OF THE YEAR WINNER

“Are words enough to describe this fabulous list? Simply put, no. One must go to Cru, the ultimate ‘destination wine bar’, to absorb all of its vinous brilliance. There are eighty wines by the glass (eighty!) served using the Coravin system. And this includes Champagne. Not only is the list utterly stunning, but there’s also a description for every wine, so you can learn about the producer and use the tasting note to see if the wine is right for you.”

- Deputy Chair of Judges Toni Paterson MW

BEST PUB RESTAURANT WINE LIST – LAMARO’S

“This excellent gastro pub in South Melbourne is a community hub thanks to its excellent wine list, ten beers on tap, 17 wines by the glass and decent collection by the bottle. Lamaros has an international list which covers most parts of the globe, with particular depth around Australia and in France. All bases are covered, and prices are reasonable. Deserved winner of Best Pub Wine List.”

- Peter Forrestal

BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT WINE LIST – ALTITUDE

“The list kicks off with a most impressive selection by the glass: almost all are Aussie and a full array of regions and a good selection of grape varieties are on display. The focus on top-notch Australian producers continues with the wines under Coravin and throughout. Good Champagnes, with some stars very well priced. The focus on local quality continues throughout and there are some appealing older wines, especially amongst the reds.”

- Ken Gargett

BEST CLUB RESTAURANT WINE LIST – CHU BY CHINA DOLL

“The thought which has gone into the ‘by the glass’ selection is immediately apparent and augurs well for what is to come. There’s an excellent array of quality wines, obviously curated with food in mind, a lesson others could benefit from. This may not be the biggest list in the country but there are so many thrilling and appealing selections, anything more would be superfluous.”

- Jeni Port

Australian Wine List of the Year Awards

ALL WINNERS OF AUSTRALIA’S WINE LIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2022

NATIONAL WINNER

Australia’s Wine List of the Year Cr u Bar + Cellar

Judy Hirst Award Chr is Walker

STATE/TERRITORY WINNERS

Best Wine List ACT Br unello

Best Wine List NSW Bennelong

Best Wine List QLD Bella Venezia

Best Wine List SA Fishbank

Best Wines List TAS Fico

Best Wine List VIC Cutler & Co.

Best Wine List WA Shorehouse

TYPE OF TRADE AWARD WINNERS

Best City Restaurant Wine List Bennelong

Best Club Restaurant Wine List Chu by ChinaDoll

Best Country Restaurant Wine List Settlers Tavern

Best Hotel Restaurant Wine List Alt itude

Best Pub Restaurant Wine List Lamaro’s

Best Wine Bar Wine List

– Fiona Macdonald Award Cr u Bar + Cellar

CATEGORY AWARD WINNERS

Best New Wine List – Tony Hitchin Award Br unello

Best Wine List (50 Wines) Congress

Best Wine List (100 Wines) Firedoor

HALL OF FAME

AUSTRALIA’S WINE LIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS

- HALL OF FAME 2022

*New Inductee* Ten Minutes by Tractor (2021)

Attica (2020)

Jonah’s (2017)

Bentley Restaurant + Bar (2015)

Rockpool Bar & Grill, Perth (2014)

Wickens at Royal Mail (2012) [as Royal Mail]

Pilu at Freshwater (2011)

Rockpool Bar & Grill, Melbourne (2010)

Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney (2009)

Aria (2003)

INDIVIDUAL WINNERS - HALL OF FAME 2022

David Lawler (2018)

Franck Moreau MS (2014)

Best Wine List (200 Wines)

China Doll

Best List of Wines by The Glass Ten Minutes by Tractor

Best Food & Wine Matching List Pendolino

Best Champagne List Cr u Bar + Cellar

Best Sparkling List Shorehouse

Best Non-Alcoholic List Bistro Sociale

Best Aperitif List de Vine Food & Wine

Best Digestif List Char red Kitchen & Bar

Best Sake List Tsunami

Best Beer List Cookie

Best Listing of a Region’s Wines Stillwater

Best Listing of Australian Wines Alt itude & Bennelong

Best Listing of ACT Wines Br unello

Best Listing of NSW Wines Char red Kitchen & Bar

Best Listing of SA Wines T he Salopian Inn

Best Listing of TAS Wines Stillwater

Best Listing of VIC Wines Pt Leo Estate

Best Listing of WA Wines Mojo’s Kitchen

Best Wine List - Sommelier’s Choice L e Rebelle (Sarah Atkinson) & Where’s Nick (Bridget Raffal)

Best Wine List - Australia’s Choice Il L ido

REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS – HALL OF FAME – 2022

Attica (Best Victoria) 2013, 2015, 2020

Blackbird (Best Queensland) 2017, 2018, 2020

*New Inductee* Cru Bar + Cellar (Best Queensland) 2004, 2009, 2015, 2021

Rockpool Bar & Grill, Perth (Best WA) 2011, 2012, 2014

Stillwater (Best Tasmanian) 2016, 2017, 2018

TYPE OF TRADE AWARD WINNERS

– HALL OF FAME - 2022

Bert’s (Best Hotel) 2018, 2019, 2020

The Botanical (Best Pub) 2012, 2013, 2014

Glass Brasserie (Best International Hotel) 2008, 2009, 2010

Jonah’s (Best Hotel) 2015, 2016, 2017

Love, Tilly Devine (Best Wine Bar) 2013, 2016, 2017

Members Dining Room (Best Club) 2013, 2014, 2015 [as RACV City Club]

Presented by Qantas Magazine | Travel Insider

Australian Wine List of the Year Awards

*New Inductee* Newcastle Club (Best Club) 2018, 2019, 2021

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (Best Club) 2003, 2004, 2008

Settlers Tavern (Best Pub) 2009, 2010, 2011

Wickens at Royal Mail (Best Country Restaurant) 2009, 2011, 2012 [as Royal Mail]

CATEGORY AWARD WINNERS – HALL OF FAME - 2022

*New Inductee* Aria (Best Sparkling) 2017, 2018, 2021

Aria (Reader’s Choice Award) 2011, 2012, 2013

Attica (Best Non-Alcoholic) 2018, 2019, 2020

Avoca Hotel (Best Beer) 2018, 2019, 2020

Chiswick, Woollahra (Best Small List: 100) 2015, 2017, 2018

*New Inductee* Cru Bar + Cellar (Best Wine List by The Glass) 2017, 2020, 2021

*New Inductee* Ishizuka (Best Wine List (50 Wines)) 2019, 2020, 2021

Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney (Best Aperitif) 2011, 2012, 2017

Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney (Best Digestif) 2012, 2015, 2020

Settlers Tavern (Best Listing of Western Australian Wines) 2017, 2018, 2019

Grenache

GRENACHE HAS HAD IT TOUGH. ONE OF THE FIRST VARIETIES SMUGGLED FROM EUROPE BY AUSTRALIA’S FATHER OF WINE JAMES BUSBY, GRENACHE WAS AUSTRALIA’S MOST PLANTED VINE RIGHT UP UNTIL THE MID-20TH CENTURY. DESPITE THIS, IT HAS LARGELY LOOMED IN THE BACKGROUND OF AUSTRALIAN VITICULTURE AS EITHER A HUMBLE BLENDING COMPONENT OR FOR FORTIFIED PRODUCTION.

What is undeniable is that Grenache has always shown promise—critics as far back as the 1830s claimed it thrived in South Australia better than any other grape—and yet its resurgence only really began in the late 80’s when winemakers decided to bat against the tides and focus on the humble thin-skinned, heat-loving variety. Taking inspiration from the Southern Rhône, they championed the GSM blend that is now a quintessentially Australian style, balancing Grenache’s high alcohol and red berry flavours with Shiraz’s body and Mataro’s savouriness. Since 2010, Grenache has been on the up: Wine Australia has reported an increase from $575 per tonne in 2010 to $1256 per tonne in 2021. In fact, IRI Market Edge analytics extends this to say that single varietal Grenache in the domestic off-premise trade has been exceptional over the past few years. Single varietal Grenache constituted 46% of Grenache sales in 2021 compared to 34% in 2019. Interestingly, however, Grenache blends demand a higher price tag: 71% of Grenache

based blends sell between $30 and $49.99 whereas 81% of single varietal Grenache wines fall between $15 and $29.99. It is worth mentioning as well that, despite being on the rise, Grenache sales still only account for less than 2% of total wine sold in Australia. So what’s all the fuss about? The ‘Pinot Noir of the south,’ Grenache is typically a light to medium-bodied wine that displays vibrant red berry flavours backed by white pepper and clay earth. In general, single varietal Grenache from Barossa Valley is fruit forward and jammy whereas McLaren Vale Grenache has more pronounced spice notes. Expect tar and leather aromas to develop with age. It is worth noting, however, that single varietal Grenache generally presents best in its youth: only highly concentrated wines with decent acidity have ageing potential, and hence Grenache greatly benefits from the lower yields brought on by water-stress and old-vines. Lucky Australia has the oldest Grenache vines in the world. Usually the last variety to be picked, Grenache

grapes develop high sugar levels on the vine which translates to high alcohol in the glass, often around 15%. Beyond blending, Australian winemakers are employing a variety of different viticultural techniques to create stylistically very different wines. Partial or full whole-bunch fermentation preserves freshness and increases floral, spicy, and herbal aromas, along with bolstering phenolics. Stainless steel and anaerobic winemaking results in vibrant fruit-forward flavours. Oak ageing—generally old oak—adds complexity, especially given Grenache’s susceptibility to oxygen. And carbonic maceration produces candy fruit aromas.

Arguably the greatest thing about Grenache down under is its diversity of styles. Over the next few pages are wines that are uniquely Australian and yet share similarities with the European regions where Grenache is most at home: whether that be the elegance of Navarra, the power of Priorat, the tannin of Sardinia or the complexity of Rhône.

Tasting Panel

THE WINES

DANDELION VINEYARDS

MENAGERIE OF THE BAROSSA GSM, BAROSSA, 2021

95 Pts – Gold

Awesomely complex with bitter amaro herbs underlying deep juicy plum, salted nuts and summer flowers. Fairly full bodied, luscious, and soft. CP

RRP: $30 Distributor: Negociants

KILIKANOON

KILLERMAN’S RUN GSM, CLARE VALLEY, 2020

96 Pts – Gold

Elegant and subtle. Strawberry punnet, dried blueberry, and a dusting of pepper. Approachable and enticing with an effortless balance. CP

RRP: $22

Distributor: Bacchus (NSW, VIC), Off The Vine (WA), Heidi Vincent (SA)

LANGMEIL THE FIFTH WAVE GRENACHE 35 Y.O. VINES, 2020 95 Pts – Gold

One of the more complex wines tasted. Aromatic raspberry, lifted autumn florals, white pepper, terracotta pot, and an earthy finish. Very textural with evenly spaced tannins and a waxy mouthfeel. CP

RRP: $55

Distributor: Berkmann Wine Cellars

BERESFORD RESERVE GRENACHE, MCLAREN VALE, 2016

94 – Silver

Taut and poised: a really energy behind this. Stewed plum, blackberry jam, herb butter, and a distinctly mineral edge tamed but just enough acidity and tannin. CP

RRP: $50

Distributor: Vok Beverages

HEIRLOOM

ALCALA

GRENACHE, MCLAREN VALE, 2021

97 – Gold

Awesome lively tannins supporting intriguing flavours: cherry, strawberry, river-stone minerality, charred nuts. Lighter in body but with loads of character. CP

RRP: $80

Distributor: Negociants

DANDELION

VINEYARDS FARAWAY TREE OF MCLAREN VALE

95 – Gold

Really well integrated flavours. Clay earth, stewed plum, blueberry, cherry, pepper, and the slightest green edge that glimmers in the background. Vanilla characteristic on finish. Intriguing wine. CP

RRP: $120

Distributor: Negociants

COOPER BURNS GSM, BAROSSA, 2021

93: Silver

Fragrant and approachable, this is ready to drink now and enjoy. Juicy and open palate with bright red fruits and good fruit expression. AP

RRP: $35

Distributor: Nelson Wine Co (NSW)

PETER LEHMANN THE BAROSSAN, 2021

92 – Silver

A more full bodied example; brooding dark berries, fruit compote, coffee and chocolate with a touch of vanilla sweetness. Velvety mouthfeel. AP

RRP: $22.99

Distributor: Casella Family Brands

ROHRLACH SURVIVOR VINE GRENACHE 2020

95 – Gold

Rich and inviting this wine displays classic grenache fruit purity, welcoming from the first nose. Strawberries and spiced white pepper. The palate is generous and voluptuous, chocolate layered with red berried fruits. Concentrated flavour and integrated tannins. AP

RRP: $120

Distributor: Direct

KILIKANOON KX SMALL BATCH, CLARE VALLEY, 2021

95 Pts – Gold

Apparent, vibrant fruit and ripe red cherries on the nose. Generous mouthfeel and layered spice complemented by raspberries, strawberries and cherries. A fruit explosion. Beautiful, subtle oak. AP

RRP: $35

Distributor: Bacchus (NSW, VIC), Off The Vine (WA), Heidi Vincent (SA)

RUSTICA GRENACHE 2021 90 – Silver

Value pick of the day, vibrant and forward nose bursting with fresh aromas. Palate is red berry fruits, white pepper, star anise and hints of cinnamon. Ready to drink and enjoy. AP

RRP: $19.99 Distributor: Direct

thissing about Christmas The right drop

IBA FESTIVE SEASON READY

CHRISTMAS AT IBA HAS BEEN MADE EASY THIS YEAR AS THEY HELP SHOPPERS WITH THEIR CHRISTMAS GIFTING NEEDS AND ENSURE MANY FAVOURITES ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE HOLIDAY OCCASION. SHOPPERS START THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS AS EARLY AS NOVEMBER, WHICH IS WHY IBA KICKED OFF ITS ‘THROUGH THE LINE’ CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN EARLIER THIS YEAR.

For retailers, Christmas is the biggest key selling period of the year. While COVID, floods and bushfires have dampened the celebratory occasion in previous years, this year, Cellarbrations, The Bottle-O, IGA Plus Liquor and Porters are ensuring your local liquor shop is your one-stop-shop. Whether you’re hosting an event, toasting at an event or needing a gift, your local retailer has everything you need.

Craig Payens, Category Manager for Beer and Cider, says, “We are excited to see our Craft Beer Summer Discovery Pack hit IBA stores in time for Christmas. Craft beer is a great Christmas gift as it is often local, and not all consumers have the opportunity to try different brands from around

Australia. The discovery pack helps drive awareness and trial whilst supporting local brewers and independent liquor retailers. We love partnering with our Independent Brands Australia team and bringing this pack to market each year.”

As the cost of living is rising for Australians, the IBA team has had fun creating simple but effective, no-fuss Christmas wrapping options this year. They have taken the stress out of wrapping with the ‘To and From’ classy brown paper bags at The Bottle-O, plus a gift bag solution from Cellarbrations. But get in early before they run out.

Bianca Hopkins, Marketing Manager for IBA, says, “Christmas is important to both us and our retailers, which is why we made

some changes to our Christmas campaign compared to previous years. We know shopping online has increased, especially post-COVID, with click-and-collect becoming more important to time-poor consumers; however, we also know shoppers like to browse online before they go in-store. This is why our new Christmas hub has been developed with options to browse and shop online. We have gifting ideas, new products, and cocktail inspiration to step up your Christmas festivities.”

If you’re stuck for ideas on what to bring to an event, partner with a meal or share as a gift to that family member you haven’t seen in years, remember to ask your friendly local IBA retailer.

OH, NOBLE ONE

IF THERE WERE AN AUSTRALIAN WINE TO RIVAL THE GREAT SAUTERNES OF BORDEAUX, IT WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY BE DE BORTOLI NOBLE ONE BOTRYTIS SEMILLON, FOR IT WAS FROM THESE GREAT WINES IT DREW ITS INSPIRATION. AS IT CELEBRATES ITS FORTIETH BIRTHDAY, WE LOOK AT THE ICONIC SWEET WINE AND WHY IT CAUGHT THE WORLD’S ATTENTION AND BECAME THE BENCHMARK OF AUSTRALIAN DESSERT WINEMAKING.

In 1987, while it was still labelled ‘Sauterne’ (until 1990), Decanter UK Magazine threw a rogue wine into a blind tasting with a group of 1983 Sauternes. While thinking it was a bit mature for 1983, the tasters were enamoured by its plump and unctuous character.” It was the inaugural 1982 vintage of De Bortoli’s Noble One. Not many New World Botrytis Semillons could surreptitiously sit amongst the best Sauternes from Bordeaux and not raise a sceptic British eyebrow. Consequently, it was labelled a wine ‘legend’ by the publication and bestowed a hallowed place in the Decanter Hall of Fame.

The 1982 maiden vintage won more than 11 trophies and 46 gold medals, not bad for a beginner. Over forty years, Noble One has received over 182 trophies and 505 gold medals – one of the greatest success stories in Australian winemaking. It was gifted to the Pope by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2009, and last year it was awarded Sweet Wine Producer of the Year at the 2021 International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Since 1982, De Bortoli has produced Noble One every year with only two exceptions, 1989 and 2012, due to flooding.

The seed of Noble One first germinated in the curious and adventurous mind of Darren de Bortoli after he tasted a 1975 Château Coutet while studying winemaking at Roseworthy College in Adelaide. It was the early 1980s, and Deen de Bortoli, the father of Darren, was at the helm. The De Bortoli’s had tried creating botrytised wines in the past but never with great success. Then came the very wet 1982 vintage, Semillon crops full of rot and the son of a winemaker with a pocket full of possibility. Thankfully it was the right kind of rot to have another crack at an ‘Australian Sauterne’, and as luck would have it, the gamble paid off.

At the 40th anniversary lunch hosted by Darren himself, guests were treated to four great vintages of Noble One, including 1984, 1993, 2004 and 2018, paired with an innovative and bespoke menu crafted by Chef Jason Camillo to match the wines. The gastronomic experience laid to rest

the antiquated concept that Noble One is just a dessert wine. Each vintage exhibited how this great wine evolves and ages over time and how beautifully it can match with a range of flavours, from crab meat to duck and smoked trout.

It will be fascinating to continue to watch the journey the great Noble One takes over the next 40 years as it continues to secure its place in winemaking history as a true Australian wine icon.

g’da

I’M NEW!

This Y Series Pinot Noir is lively and bright with aromatic strawberry and cranberry notes, and a touch of spice on the finish. Pairs perfectly with some burnt snags and good tunes this summer.