With the festive season around the corner, Rachel Badham takes a dive into this year’s biggest Christmas trends for retailers GLORIOUS GIFTING With a separate department dedicated to gifting, Virgin Wines found that the majority of drinks-related gifts sold over Christmas were specially created gift sets, with the “best-selling spirit gift for 2021 being a gin-filled snow globe”.  As Christmas draws…

Quintessential Brands has created a head of convenience role, as it looks to grow the convenience channel.   The position will be filled by Andy Williams, who joined Quintessential nearly two years ago as national sales manager for the on-trade. He has worked in the drinks industry for 20 years.  James Lousada, CEO Quintessential Brands, said: “The convenience sector is a key area of focus for…

A limited-edition gin created for a Welsh football club owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney is now on sale across several Morrisons stores in Wales. Aviation American Gin Away Edition was created to celebrate Wrexham AFC’s new away game shirt.  The gin is now available at nine Morrisons stores in North Wales: Wrexham, Colwyn Bay, Newton, Connah’s Quay, Denbigh, Caernarfon, Bangor, Saltney…

Indie Brands has announced a new UK distribution partnership with Don Papa Rum. Don Papa is the first premium single island rum from the Philippines, created and launched in 2012 by Stephen Carroll, managing director and founder of the Bleeding Heart Rum Company.   Distilled and aged in American oak barrels on the island of Negros Occidental (known locally as Sugarlandia), the pure, original Negros sugar…

Ehrmanns-owned wine brand Beefsteak Club will be launching its first television campaign this winter. The 10-second television advert has been created to raise awareness of Beefsteak Club Malbec, which the producer said it one of the bestselling Argentine Malbecs in the UK. The brand grew 109% in volume and 103% in value in the last year (Nielsen Scantrack GB Total Grocery 52 w/e November 14,…

An online resource has been launched to highlight wine professionals in the UK who are Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic. BAME Wine Professionals has been created by Mags Janjo, a certified Wine & Spirit Education Trust educator and senior account manager at Roberson Wine, and writer and broadcaster Jancis Robinson MW. The website, bamewineprofessionals.co.uk, will list those working in sales, retail, hospitality, marketing, PR, wholesale,…

Leeds-based Folklore Society gin has released a special edition to raise money for the mental health charities Mind and the Blurt Foundation. Essentially Amazing Thank You gin has been created in collaboration with the art collective In Good Company (IGC) in the city and the illustrator Rebecca Strickson. It follows a Posters for the People campagn with IGC created to thank key workers during lcokdown…