Wine.com adds 2,000-strong spirits range to four US markets

Wine.com, one of the US’s biggest online booze retailers, is tapping into the cocktail trend and increasing demand for premium and craft spirits by adding spirits to its line-up in four US markets.

The online wine site, which launched in 1998 and boasts a range of 15,000 wines, is now selling spirits to customers based in New York and Florida, and is set to add New Jersey and California to its line up in August and September.

Founder Mike Osborne said it was “a natural progression” to add a comprehensive array of spirits to the offer. The site will offer around 2,000 spirits, focusing primarily on premium spirits as well as rare, collectible and limited edition products, with notes on the product style, production method, distillery and region of origin, with serving and mixing suggestions being added at a later day.

“With so many wine consumers also enjoying craft cocktails and experimenting with their own home bars, we are thrilled to offer the same selection, education and guidance in spirits we already offer in wine,” Osborn said.  

The fully searchable range will include whiskey, vodka, tequila, mezcal, gin, rum, brandy, cordial, and liqueur, and shoppers can chat to the site’s online experts to find the bottle that suits them best, before choosing range of delivery options, including specific delivery dates, home delivery or local pick up. 

Last, the company sold more than 38,000 wines from 5,500 different wineries, helping boost revenues to around $130 million, representing year-on-year growth of 15-20% over the last few years. Mobile orders now account for 30%, it said, a rise of 90% since the launch of its app in mid-2017.