The biggest no and low drinks launches of 2024

As demand for alcohol-free and 0% beverages continues to surge, 2024 has seen an explosion of innovative product launches in this growing category. db rounds up some of the biggest so far…

Health-conscious consumers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, are driving this trend as they seek to moderate their alcohol intake without compromising on flavour or experience. Whether it’s non-alcoholic beer, low-alcohol wine, or zero-proof spirits, beverage companies, both new and long-established are rapidly responding, innovating to create new brands, or adding 0% line extensions of core products. According to the IWSR, consumption of no/low products rose by +5% in 2023 in the world’s top 10 markets, with no/low volumes expected to rise at a CAGR of +6% between 2023 and 2027.

Susie Goldspink, head of no- and Low-Alcohol Insights, IWSR, said it was Gen Z and Millennial consumers that were driving growth, with innovation still at the heart of the category. “Gen Z and Millennial consumers in particular are more interested in trying new no-alcohol alternatives than older cohorts – and NPD is emerging in a range of segments and formats to suit different occasions and demographic groups,” she said. Pernod Ricard is forging ahead with plans for more zero-abv drinks (following the launch of its Beefeater 0.0 earlier this year) while Diageo already has non-alcoholic versions of its Gordon’s, Gordon’s Pink and Tanqueray gins, as well as Captain Morgan rum.

Countless others are producing entirely new NA drinks that aren’t intended to mimic any particular brand of spirit, continually reshaping the category. While last month, two industry veterans launched a new non-alcoholic adult drinks brand – DioniLife – backed by Invus Group, a global equity investment firm. The brand is the brainchild of Damian McKinney (former Stoli Group’s global CEO) and Steve Wilson (former Diageo global head of innovation). “DioniLife introduces a new standard for celebrating and socialising with non-alcoholic beverages, with an uncompromising dedication to taste and consumer experience,” said McKinney. It’ve first major move has been the acquisition of MashGang, a UK-based non-alcoholic beer brand founded in 2020. But the pair have said multiple new products and brands by DioniLife are in “advanced stages of development”.

With so much innovation, acquisitions and product launches taking place, and many taking part in “Sober October”, we’ve rounded up the biggest no/low alcohol product launches of 2024, so far.

1. Beefeater 0.0

Starting the year strong, in January Pernod Ricard debuted a 0% abv variant of its Beefeater gin – the first alcohol-free line extension from the group’s core portfolio. Pernod has said that Beefeater 0.0 (0.04% ABV) was “inspired” by the full-strength version, maintaining its citrus and juniper-forward flavour profile, alongside coriander and Angelica. A month after its launch, the French drinks producer confirmed it was embarking on plans to create a “strong multi-category portfolio” in the alcohol-free sector, building upon its 2022 opening of a division dedicated to the no-and-low category. The research and development hub, in the south of France, is home to a production line for non-alcoholic ‘spirits’, laying the groundwork for further NA brands to launch in the future.

2. Almave Ámbar

In July, F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton’s non-alcoholic drink made with blue agave arrived in the UK after its initial launch in Mexico. Mangrove Global is the official distributor for Almave, which was the result of a long-running collaboration between the F1 champ and Iván Saldaña, co-founder and master distiller of Mexican spirits brand Casa Lumbre. It’s made from blue agave in the same way as Tequila, but forgoes the fermentation stage, meaning no alcohol is produced. There are two expressions: Almave Ámbar Distilled Non-Alcoholic Blue Agave Spirit; and Almave Blanco Distilled Non-Alcoholic Blue Agave Spirit. The first is intended for sipping, the second for mixing. So far, only the Ámbar has been made available in the UK, retailing at £36 (US$46). Pernod Ricard certainly see its potential, having bought a minority stake in the company in August, seeking to bring its “strong experience in brand building and global distribution to help scale this first-of-its-kind product to several markets throughout the world.”

3. Della Vite Zero

In June the Delevingne sisters unveiled the third addition to their growing Della Vite portfolio of wines – a zero-abv sparkling French rosé. Della Vite Zero is the Delevingne’s first foray into the non-alcoholic drinks category, and joins their Della Vite Superiore and Della Vite Treviso Rose Proseccos, launched in 2020. The sisters worked with a 4th generation French wine-making family in Beziers, in the south of France, to make a wine from Grenache grapes, which was then de-alcoholised and carbonated to produce Della Vite Zero. “Alcohol-free doesn’t mean compromising on taste, fun or new experiences,” said Cara Delevingne. “I’ve wanted to create something like this with my sisters for a long time now but we were patient and finally found the right partners to work with. It was worth the wait.” It has an RRP of £14.99.

4. Sylva x Padauk

Non-alcoholic drinks pioneer Ben Branson (who founded Seedlip) unveiled his latest project in September – a non-alcoholic distillery and maturation laboratory in Essex designed for producing luxury dark spirits with an abv of less than 0.5%. Named Sylva, the lab is part of Pollen Projects, an ideas incubator for the non-alcoholic drinks category. Padauk is the first release from Sylva, made from the West African wood, red oak from the lab’s forest and American oak barrel staves from Nc’nean in Scotland. The wood is complemented with rye, which undergoes malted rye extraction, toasted rye vacuum distillation, and gravity percolation before the final liquid is bottled. “I come from a family of grain growers, woodworkers, inventors and timber merchants, so Sylva is a very special project both personally and professionally,” said Branson. “I am excited to celebrate wood’s unique and diverse flavours by championing innovative extraction and maturation techniques so we can break new ground on what dark non-alcoholic spirits can be.” Padauk is priced at £40 (US$52) per 500ml bottle and will be available to pre-order with bottles shipped from November.

5. Bottega NA lemon liqueur

Earlier this year pioneering Italian drinks company Bottega S.p.A launched a zero abv lemon liqueur – Limoncino 0.0 – at this year’s Vinitaly trade fair in Verona. Italian lemon varieties, Femminello, Siracusano and Verdello are used in its production, with flavour extracted from the peel, pulp and juice. While it can be served neat, it can also be mixed, with Bottega positioning it as a liqueur suited to mocktails or as a spritz. “This is a rapidly growing market that aims to meet the needs of those who, for health or religious reasons, do not consume alcoholic beverages or take a cautious approach to alcohol consumption,” said Bottega president Sandro Bottega.

6. Ben Lomond Non-Alcoholic Gin

In July, spirits producer Loch Lomond Group launched its first non-alcoholic botanical spirit, a 0.5% abv version of its full strength Ben Lomond Gin. The ‘spirit’ has a similar flavour profile – citrus and juniper – with the addition of locally foraged berries from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs adding a ‘crisp bitterness’, balanced by the sweetness of Scottish blackcurrants.“Ben Lomond Gin has always been passionate about giving people the freedom to explore, to drink wherever and however they choose,” said John Grieveson, chief marketing officer of Ben Lomond Gin and its owner Loch Lomond Group. “Our Non-Alcoholic Botanical Spirit is a delicious non-alcoholic gin alternative to be savoured anywhere you choose, ensuring you can fully embrace everyday adventure.” It made its debut at the 152nd Open Golf Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club, Ayrshire, in July, and has an RRP of £22 (US$28).

7. French Bloom La Cuvée

Without a doubt, the most high-end non-alcoholic wine launch of 2024 was French Bloom, which in the spring released its 2022 La Cuvée – the world’s first vintage alcohol-free blanc de blancs sparkling wine – at £109 a bottle. Earlier this week, Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of luxury giant LVMH, acquired a minority stake the business. It is the world’s most expensive non-alcoholic wine, made only in the best years from organic grapes grown in the Languedoc, aged in new French oak with no sulphites and no dosage. It is de-alcoholised using a method of vacuum distillation and is also flash pasteurised, affording it a two year shelf life.

The brand was co-founded by Maggie Frerejean-Taittinger and her winemaker husband, Rodolphe in 2021. Rodolphe is a first cousin of the famed Champagne Taittinger family on his mother’s side, and also CEO of the Champagne house Frèrejean Frères, which he and his two brothers founded in 2005. The couple’s most ambitious release to date joins French Bloom’s other non-alcoholic sparkling wines, Le Blanc, and Le Rosé (£29 and £34 respectively). Since it’s release, La Cuvée’s price tag has been the subject of much discussion, testing the limits of what consumers are prepared to pay. For now, French Bloom seem to be forging a path all of their own, and could prove instrumental in re-shaping expectations in the non-alcoholic wine category.