One of my favourite drinks books is David Gluckman’s That S*it Will Never Sell, where he describes the ideas and background of how some famous drinks brands were created, such as Baileys Irish Cream, Tanqueray Ten and The Singleton Single Malt Scotch whisky amongst others.
But perhaps just as interesting, are the ideas that for one reason or another, never quite made it (such as Baileys ‘The Whiskey’). This aspect of drinks innovation made me think about what drinks products we may see a few years down the line in the near future, starting with the idea shared by David in his book with the powerbrand that is Guinness.
Distilled Guinness
The background behind the idea as described by David in his book was that “you make what is to all intents a beer – and then distill it. That was the answer. We wouldn’t do a Guinness Whiskey at all. We would simply take Guinness and distill it.” The USP was to make the world’s first distilled beer without the need for maturation and potentially open to production in any country where Guinness was brewed. Unfortunately, it remained just an idea back in 1997, but perhaps it could come to life in future…
Sheridan’s Matcha & Cream Liqueur Limited Edition
Casa Redondo has recently completed the acquisition of Sheridan’s Coffee & Vanilla Liqueur from Diageo. This additional focus on the brand and the growing interest in matcha products being consumed across coffee shops, could lead to a limited release in the near future.
The main consumers of matcha products are young, health-conscious and socially active people in the 18-34 age range. So perhaps a different format may be more appropriate for immediate consumption through a canned product. A lower calorie alternative created by coffee house Blank Street could be one such product spotted in the future. Note that all of these images were AI-generated and are simply mock-ups of these ideas and not available (as far as I know!).
Blank Street Matcha Oat Spritz
Protein RTD (Snickers MyProtein Low Alcohol)
The wellness trend continues to grow driving an increased amount of products highlighting their protein content. One such example is the collaboration between MyProtein and the Snickers peanut chocolate brand with their Impact Whey Protein powder for shakes. Could this messaging be extended into alcohol drinks offering a low sugar, low alcohol drink with protein content for some indulgence?
Single Grain Scotch whisky RTD with Sparkling Coconut water
Taking a leap from the beaches of Brazil, where you can find Blended Scotch whisky being consumed with coconut water (ice) as a refreshing drink, maybe we will see some entrepreneurial whisky business release an RTD of Single Grain Scotch whisky mixed with sparkling coconut water, breaking away from the norms associated with the category.
World Whisky Cigar Malts
Traditionally, there have been a number of Scotch whiskies associated with cigars, these are higher in their alcohol content (ABV) and specifically designed to pair with cigars. The ‘cigar malts’ are typically influenced by maturation in ex-Sherry casks and examples include the Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve, Tamdhu Cigar Malt, Tomintoul Cigar Malt amongst others. Just as we are seeing the development of different styles across whiskies from outside of Scotland, perhaps we will find in future a World Whisky cigar malt series influenced by other types of casks, from ex-Port to examples outwith oak such as Amburana wood…
Cachaça Series
Brazil’s national spirit drink cachaça is typically found outside of the country as an entry level product used for its most famous cocktail, the Caipirinha. In reality, most of the cachaça produced in Brazil is consumed within the country itself and it means that internationally, consumers are not tasting some of the more artesanal offerings across the category. One product that we may find in future could be in a premium bottle, inspired by its raw material (sugar cane) and highlighting different producers and types of cachaça, including those matured in casks.
Disclaimer: None of the products above exist in the format described and these are simply ideas being shared with an AI-generated mock-up image (with the exception of Distilled Guinness idea which was taken from David Gluckman’s book).
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