Liquid assets: January 2024

Seasn

Seedlip founder is looking to further stamp his mark on the zero alcohol spirit category he helped create with a product described as ‘the salt and pepper of modern drinking’. Called Seasn, the two-strong brand is a pair of intense 0% abv cocktail bitters designed to fire a shot across the boughs of the ‘200 year old, monopolised cocktail bitters category’. Available in light and dark expressions, Light is described as being green and zesty with strong top notes of fresh cut grass, lime and grapefruit peel, and a salinity from kombu and sea salt that complements lighter style drinks like soda, gin and tonic, margaritas and martinis. By contrast, Dark has a spicier profile with aromatic top notes of kola nut, smoked cherrywood, star anise and cinnamon and an umami bitter backbone of king of bitters, black pepper, mushroom and cocoa that adds depth to darker drinks such as ginger ale, rum and cola, a bloody Mary or an old fashioned. Seasn is available exclusively at seasnyourdrinks.com priced a £29.99 for the pair with additional UK stockists to be confirmed.

Beavertown Lazer Crush

Beavertown has made a big play for the dry January market with a new alcohol-free IPA. Lazer Crush has been brewed with a special yeast that lends ‘a delicious fruity flavour’ with only 0.3% abv created during fermentation. Boasting a crisp and mildly malty base followed by a wave of fruity undertones, the beer is described as ‘perfectly balanced with subtle notes of sweet peach for that ultimate fresh taste’. The high-profile craft brewer has also launched a 2.8% abv ‘low super session’ IPA called Satellite that is billed as light and crisp with tropical aromas of pineapple and peach.  

Lucky Saint Hazy IPA

Lucky Saint has unveiled its first piece of NPD in five years - a Hazy IPA. Two years in the making, the beer combines New World Hops and California Ale Yeast, featuring the combination of US hops Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe. The result is a juicy, hazy IPA with notes of tropical fruit, zesty citrus, and fresh pine, according to Lucky Saint, resulting in a ‘balanced beer with all the satisfaction and none of the sacrifice’. Like the original lager, the beer is unfiltered, with each can containing just 59 calories. Lucky Saint Hazy IPA is available from distributors Matthew Clark, Bidfood and Dayla.

ThinK prosecco

Think Wine Group has developed a new prosecco brand that it says is more virtuous than much of the competition, being low sugar, vegan and organic. The two ThinK Prosecco products - a Glera-based white sparkling wine and rosé made with Pinot Grigio - are the brainchild of entrepreneur Katherine Jones, who struggled to find any ‘palatable’ low-sugar sparkling wines on the market. Both the wines are made near Treviso in northern Italy and are 11% abv with 3.75g of sugar per litre and are intended to be sold in hospitality venues for between £35 and £40 per bottle.  

NOOH sparkling rosé

NOOH is a new non-alcoholic sparkling rosé produced by Provence-based winery Château La Coste. The de-alcoholised product is made with the same wine that makes up the producer’s Rosé d’une Nuit organic cuvée. For the past three years, Château La Coste’s oenologists have focused on creating an alcohol-free wine that ‘encapsulates the unique flavours of Rosé d’une Nuit’, while preserving hints of grapefruit, strawberries and unveiling fragrances of jasmine and lemon. NOOH (pronounced n-oo-h) is a play on the French word ‘nous,’ meaning ‘us’ or ‘we.’ This choice ‘underscores the collaborative and communal spirit behind this non-alcoholic wine’, emphasising its role as a drink for sharing with friends.  

Kingfisher Zero

World beer, cider and spirits company KBE Drinks has launched Kingfisher Zero, an alcohol-free variant of its biggest brand. Kingfisher Zero is said to have the same flavour as Kingfisher Premium, but without the alcohol. It is available in 330ml bottles with a wholesale price of £19.99 for a pack of 24 bottles.

The REAL Drinks Co Tiger Hill

The REAL Drinks Co has released a limited edition ‘first-of-its-kind’ sparkling red wine made through the natural fermentation of Darjeeling teas. Described as being ‘flamboyantly fruity’ with earthy undertones and a woody finish with a hint of spice, on the palate it has notes of forest fruits, cherry and red grape. The REAL Drinks Co says the drink - which comes in 750ml bottles - works well with winter vegetables, roasted poultry, savoury tarts and quiches. “We are very excited to be taking our first foray into sparkling red territory,” says founder David Begg. “We have produced a sparkling red that is perfect for Christmas festivities, as it is bright, fun, and full of life.” 

NICE Session Wine

Female-led, London-based wine startup NICE has launched a lower abv Session Wine into the on trade. Available in two varieties, the 3.4% NICE Session sauvignon blanc and merlot means that a drinker can have three glasses of wine but have only imbibed the strength of just one glass of wine, allowing for longer but lighter drinking sessions ‘for when you’re in, but not all-in’, according to the company. The wine has been developed to taste like its full-strength counterparts with a taste profile and mouthfeel drinkers would expect from their favourite wines, it adds. “Moderation of alcohol isn’t new and it isn’t niche,” says co-founder Lucy Busk. “Three out of four UK adults are proactively moderating their alcohol intake; the same as the number of people who consume alcohol at least once per week. It’s also not just a Gen Z phenomenon, we can see from the data that it’s happening across all age groups. That’s why we created Session wine, to offer consumers more choice.”