Hamish Smith assesses the non-alc spirits market, highlighting the brands that do best in the UK's best bars. 

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But what of the upper echelons of the on-trade, where non-alc spirits are a fairly long-established offering? Well, we found that 81% of the UK’s best bars stocked a non-alc spirit. And if that feels a little lower than the prevalence of non-alc cocktails would suggest, it’s because some prefer the from-scratch approach rather than a branded solution. But where bartenders are converts, they’re likely to buy two brands (74% of our poll), or even three or more (55%).

That says something of this category’s varying appeal. In a basic sense there are two approaches from producers; the first is products that are spirit replacements. The likes of Lyre’s aim to seamlessly off er a virgin variation on cocktails. Second, there are those who seek not to be a substitute but bring their own flavour profiles. Building a brand and flavour reputation from scratch is much harder than piggybacking on well-known spirits, but without Coca-Cola there is no cola. And there is a sense that you can create your own path, uninhibited by the spirit category’s preconceived associations, perhaps opening your brand up to less classic but more signature cocktails. These brands can also look beyond non-alc cocktails. Aperitifs and liqueurs don’t need alcohol to be used as moderators in cocktails.

So, let’s dig into the list. When you have a brand which is named bestselling and the bartenders’ favourite – normally two very different things – you have a clear leader. A third of the bars that stock non-alcs said Everleaf was their number one. 52% said it was among their bestselling two brands and our data suggests that Everleaf makes up just under 30% of non-alc volume in this end of the bar channel. When we asked bartenders what their personal favourite was, a whopping 38% named Everleaf.

Diageo’s Seedlip was the category’s early bird, but it now shares the worm. It was the first choice in 15% of bars and one of the first two choices in a third of bars, with our data suggesting it makes up about 19% of volume in this end of the UK bar market. One wonders whether Seedlip has taken friendly fi re – its stablemate Tanqueray 0.0% must compete in some accounts.

Lyre’s, which offers a non-alc alternative to all the major categories, including the likes of vermouth and liqueurs, is a one-stop-shop for classically structured cocktails. It was almost as present as Seedlip with our data suggesting a 14% market share among the UK’s best bars. 10% said it was their first choice and almost a third of those polled said it was among their trio of bestsellers.

If they’re the top three of the category, the brands in fourth and fifth of our list are starting to make a noise. Botivo seems to play not only to the non-alc market - offering a fresh new take - but leans into health and wellbeing too. The botanical aperitif is indeed turning heads – 17% of our bars said it was among their top three non-alc brands. That’s sales, but when we asked bartenders what brands they loved most, 15% said Botivo.

Alongside it in our Bartenders’ Favourite list is another British non-alc, Three Spirit, which too communicates wellness messaging. It was neck-and-neck with Botivo in market share, but the real marker of future fortunes is that 25% of our sample named it their personal favourite non-alc.

The aperitivo Martini Vibrante, with its classic stylings and big-portfolio prowess, is starting to gain share – about 7% of the UK’s best bars currently – while Scottish brand Feragaia is garnering accounts in Scotland. Our data is weaker on Pentire, Strykk and Atopia, though these brands are starting to appear on the radar.