Not the spirit: alcohol-free G&T draws wrath of industry experts
LOW and zero-alcohol brands have been accused of “freeloading” on the success of gin as industry experts join forces with Trading Standards to crack down on “misleading” drinks.
The Gin Guild says that while only drinks with a minimum alcohol volume of 37.5 per cent can be considered to be gin, some brands use the word “gin” for drinks with an alcohol content of just 1.2 per cent.
The industry body claims it has secured the withdrawal or remarketing of several low Alcohol By Volume (ABV) drinks incorrectly described as gin and has now established a partnership with Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards to clamp down further.
The two organisations have worked together to issue advice for businesses creating low or zero-alcohol drinks intended to imitate gin.
Nicholas Cook, from the Gin Guild, said: “There is no such thing as a lowalcohol or no-alcohol gin. The line must not be crossed when it comes to accurately describing what is and what is not gin.”
One company that has been accused of “misleading consumers” over its popular drinks is Spencer Matthews’s Cleanco. Originally called the Clean Liquor Company, the firm marketed a product
called “Clean Gin” and was promptly reported to Trading Standards.
The Made In Chelsea star has previously described himself as an “unbearable drunk” who gave up drinking completely a few months before the birth of his son.
“Spencer Matthews’s company was referred to Trading Standards very early on and subsequently changed its labelling, which I think says it all,” Mr Cook said. “The product isn’t gin, it’s cheating the market and it’s misleading consumers to say it is.
Mr Matthews told The Daily Telegraph his company had “tread on toes” and said discussions with Trading Standards were ongoing, adding there was “no law” to suggest any “clear case” of regulations being breached.
He said: “Whilst inconclusive, and to reassure our retail partners, we have changed some aspects of our labelling to comply completely with current laws and legislations.
“We want our products to be as straightforward as possible for those who are looking to drink ‘clean’. All of our spirits are clearly labelled as low alcohol and are in no way misleading.”
In recent years the no or low alcohol market has exploded, with sales increasing 32 per cent before the first lockdown last March. Waitrose has reported sales of the option are up 22 per cent compared with this time last year.