THE LOW- AND NO- REVOLUTION

The rapid rise of zero-abv spirits has laid the foundation for a whole new category of drinks. Julie Sheppard finds out what’s driving the change and recommends which bottles to buy

- Julie Sheppard

It started as a tiny trickle. One lone bottle called Seedlip suddenly appeared on the market in 2015. I remember tasting it at the drinks magazine I was working on at the time. ‘It tastes OK – but who’s going to buy it?’

As it turned out, the answer was: everyone. The trickle turned into a flood, led by people who didn’t know they needed a quality alcohol-free alternative until they had one. They were joined by people who simply don’t want to drink alcohol as a religious or lifestyle choice, plus people who need to cut their intake for health reasons.

‘It’s been surreal to see the demand,’ says Ben Branson, creator of Seedlip. ‘It launched from my kitchen; I was delivery driver, accountant, salesman, marketer, manufacturer. Five years later we have distribution in 37 countries... and there are now over 125 products in the non-alcohol spirit category globally.’

Indeed, the global value of the no-abv spirit category grew by 499.5% between 2014 and 2019, according to The IWSR. And there’s more growth yet to come: volume sales are predicted to increase by 40.5% globally from 2019 to 2024.

Spirit of innovation

In addition, low- and no- is one of the most innovative categories out there, driven by creators outside the drinks industry as much as by traditional distillers. Branson was running a design agency when he came up with the idea of Seedlip.

‘Back in 2013, while researching interesting herbs I could grow at home, I came across a book written in 1651 called