Spirit world no longer men’s domain
Ladies are at the forefront when it comes to influencing drinking trends. The proof is in vodka and gin surpassing whisky globally, writes Somaya Stockenstroom.
Snoop Dogg glamourised gin when he rapped about sipping it in the 1990s.
But it was only in the last three years that gin joined vodka and really gained popularity among the younger generation, ladies especially.
And gone are the days of one gin or vodka being good enough.
Rowan Leibbrandt, owner of premium drinks company Truman & Orange agrees that the whisky market – preferred by the mature SA gentlemen – is pretty flat.
He says vodka has had a good few years, and gin is on steroids at the moment when it comes to increased sales.
Millenials want to experiment with drinks from all over the world, and be entertained by their exotic stories. He says the rise of these trends is not due to clever marketing (that uses celebs), like Cassper Nyovest raving about Ciroc Vodka or the youth falling over their feet for AKA’s association with the Cruz Vodka brand.
Leibbrandt says when it comes to trends in 2019, ladies are taking control.
“SA bottle stores used to be uninviting places, but since the retailers started selling spirits they’ve created the same environments that they use in grocery [stores] – bright, open, clean lines, with similar layouts to their larger stores. This, coupled with the modern, emancipated woman who has more to spend and wanting to exercise greater choice in what she drinks, we have a powerful blend that is putting what ladies want at the forefront of spirits trends in SA. And boy, is she driving gin,” says Leibbrandt.
But he says it’s not all doom and gloom for whisky brands preferred by the acquired tasters.
“The more premium end is still quite healthy: Irish whisky, single malt, and premium bourbon especially, which is one of the fastest growing segments in SA at the moment. We distribute Paddy’s Irish Whisky and it’s exploding, and we battle to keep up with the demand for the premium bourbons like Buffalo Trace that we import.”
Leibbrandt also states that today people want to know the facts about the product.
“There’s a much greater level of curiosity in modern drinkers, and this is driving the success of brands that have real provenance. Don Papa is a premium aged rum from the Philippines and the bottle tells the story of the revolutionary hero who inspired its name; and drinkers love e-mailing us and asking odd questions about it’s made. People increasingly want to know that high quality, care and craftsmanship has gone into the making of their drink,” he says.