He adds: “As better weather approaches, there’s lots of opportunity to offer high quality RTDs too. Distilled from sugar cane molasses fermented for five days using a mixture of red wine and rum yeast, the resulting liquid is then double-pot distilled to create a flavoursome white rum with rich tropical flavours and hints of dark berries. Nakagawa adds the company was also inspired by the ancient art of Japanese fermentation and the concept of ikigai - 'your reason for being' or 'whatever gets you out of bed in the morning'. Dark Matter Spiced, produced in Scotland’s first rum distillery, has a great flavour profile with consumer-friendly flavours of spice, ginger and peppers. Fruit fusion and flavored wine brand Echo Falls has unveiled a new look for its Fruit Fusions 5.5% and 9.0% portfolio.

The point is, there’s an incredible amount of innovation and as long as it’s done well and to the best standard that services the category, there’s room for all.” Under a new trading name of Portobello Road Distillery, it will launch four new expressions: Potato Vodka, Golden Madagascan Vanilla Vodka, Calabrian Bergamot Citrus Vodka and Toasted Coffee Bean Vodka. There are also plans to launch Amalfi Lemon Vodka, Asparagus Vodka and Watermelon Vodka in the early autumn.Over the next five years, hard seltzers are likely to see the highest growth rate within the UK’s RTD category, notes the carbon neutral brand brand, quoting IWSR figures. On the go consumption, and sustainability (with reduced chance of waste from small formats) remain a priority for consumers, with millennials the key purchasing demographic of seltzers. Global wine company Accolade Wines has launched a new hard seltzer line in the UK, called Nine Yards. To maximise sales, we believe retailers should work regionally and champion fast growing brands. In fact, many already do. We’ve seen this work to great mutual success as it helps retailers to meet the needs of their shoppers within different regions, while enabling brands like ours to showcase our range and grow from a regional into national footprint. At our year end (as of Jan 2021) Didsbury Gin’s revenue growth is up by 170% vs last year with profits significantly increasing and this can be attributed to significant e-commerce growth. Despite the pandemic, there’s been a lot of innovation from the brand over the past 12 months. We also recently announced the launch of our 1.75-litre sharing bottles across our Spiced, Pineapple, Mango, Raspberry, Passionfruit and Lime variants, a move that was very much in reaction to ongoing calls from Dead Man’s Fingers fans on our social media channels.”

She says: “This could be supporting sustainable producers, profiling the overlooked or marginalised, or championing brands that place provenance, heritage or family at the heart of what they do.

As a business we work with retailers by coming up with innovative ways to communicate with their customers, including targeted advertising, in store activations and attractive below the line consumer incentives. We always work with retailers to create a comprehensive brand marketing launch / plan. Yoi, which means ‘good’ in Japanese, crafts its tart beverages in small batches from organic ingredients including almonds, coconut, and pumpkin seeds. He says: “We saw lots of love from traditional rum drinkers and new consumers coming into the category.” By launching the range direct to consumer, we can also establish Nine Yards as a fun brand that fits seamlessly into consumers’ lifestyles.”​ We saw the opportunity and thought, 'How can we apply our knowledge and experience in cultured dairy foods to create healthy and tasty plant-based cultured foods?'"​​

Alderman’s Drinks-owned Arlu Rum has launched its first ready-to-drink (RTD) rums in the UK, with three flavours available in its new range. We’ve drank in a lot of world class bars, and there are a lot of world class bars in Manchester, so we know what we like and what we don’t like. There’s small things. Every single seat in this bar has a coat hook. Minor details but they make the experience that little bit more comfortable.” ARLU has seen similar growth and has secured several regional listings including Coop and Booths which is very encouraging. I think my favourite rum from the festival was another local hero, ARLU rum. Their original flavour was so smooth, I’ve put a bottle of that on my Christmas list! My companion who favours a less sweet rum really enjoyed the English Harbour 5 year old rum from Antigua. Looking ahead, Wallwork thinks 2021 will see “firstly, a lot of Daiquiris and secondly, a lot of innovation – in brands, flavours and serves”.

Manchester’s Best Rum Bars

Shake 50ml of The Duppy Share Aged, 25ml Fresh Lime Juice, 15ml Vermouth and 15ml of Rich Sugar Syrup over ice and then strain. Spiced Spritz It’s now not uncommon to find a massive array of flavours, spices and variations on rum – which can often be overwhelming for someone who’s just looking for what tastes best and gets them drunk fast. Rum can span the full spectrum of colours, from the light and mild white rums (which are perfect as a mojito base), through to aged golden rums that have developed a more complex taste. So, are you saying this is a venture born out of sheer laziness?” asks Liam. It could be. Nothing wrong with that, mind you. Amy laughs. “Well, everyone who’s walked past has asked ‘why hasn’t someone done this before’?” she says. Sounds like they’re onto something.

Zest the blood orange and combine on a plate with granulated sugar. Dampen a chilled glass and rim with mixture.

Ghostly Gin Fizz

The sparkling category increased its share of the bottled water market to 14.6% in 2020, according to Kantar figures. Independent gin brand Portobello Road Gin is diversifying beyond juniper for the first time with a new portfolio of vodka made from English-distilled potato spirit. Top with soda water Other rum bottles available on the high street and online now Deadhead Dark Chocolate Rum Jessica Smith, marketing executive at Continental Wine & Food (CWF), says in 2020 the company introduced Jolly Roger, a range of flavoured rum liqueurs.