February 13th – Almost unthinkable just a few years ago: no alcohol as a lifestyle segment. Non-alcoholic beers were only remotely reminiscent of the original, a beverage category of alcohol-free distillates did not exist yet, and no-alcohol choices on cocktail menus were often entitled “mocktails” – i.e. fake cocktails. But those days are gone for good. “Dry January” or “Sober October“ have now become an integral part of our beverage culture and the enjoyment factor does not fall by the wayside with “no-and-low” drinks either. There is enormous diversity with non-alcoholic products, and technology and aromatics are being advanced all the time. At ProWein 2023, the world’s largest and most relevant trade fair for wines and spirits (March 19 – 21, 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany) a multitude of varieties can be discovered as both pure and mixer drinks.
From London into the world
The revolution in no-alcohol distillates started in 2015 as a pilot project at London’s department store Selfridges. A young and unknown brand by the name of Seedlip was presented and after just three weeks the first batch of 1,000 bottles was sold. Three varieties result from a maceration, distillation, filtration and mixing process in which each herbal ingredient is distilled separately before mixing. The result of this process is a liquid without any alcohol and sugar. No-alcohol gin is not featured on the bottles for legal reasons, but the products can be used in cocktails just like the original juniper distillate. Seedlip is distributed by Bremer Spirituosen Contor (Hall 7, Stand B 13), which offers a great number of alcohol-free distillates inspired by gin, rum and even whiskey in its range.
A fixture in the business is Rheinland Distillers GmbH (Hall 7, Booth B 25), known for its Siegfried Gin from Bonn and its non-alcoholic products “Wonderleaf” and “Wonderoak.” The former can be used as a gin substitute, while the latter contains tonka bean, nutmeg, fenugreek, lime and curaçao orange and can create rum-inspired drinks. Also brand new to the market is Wonderleaf Rosé. This, too, is a product that blends excellently with tonic, only it’s a bit more floral in aroma. In addition, Rheinland Distillers also designed the “Easy” series with 20% alcohol by volume. The alcohol in the drink is reduced, but the residual alcohol acts as a flavor enhancer and is a fitting representative of the “low alcohol” category.
The market offers aromatically diverse products that convincingly toy with alcohol-free inspirations and tastes from vermouth and Amaro to whisky. Dr. Jaglas (Hall 7, Stand C 02), for example, a brand that looks back on a long pharmacist’s tradition, presents the first no-alcohol Limoncello and proves how elegantly this product goes with Prosecco. The Hamburg Distilling Company (Hall 13, Stand C 35) will bring its Knut Hansen Gin, which is made predominantly with regional products such as cucumber, apple or rose and is now also available in a 0.0 – i.e. completely alcohol-free – version. Alfred Schladerer GmbH (Hall 7, Stand B 52) in turn, banks on herbs. Known for its proven distillates and spirits, the tradition-rich distillery has now also picked up on the current non-alcohol trend presenting Vincent, a herb-based aperitif finely flavored with raspberries. Reminiscent of a U.S. bourbon is the SoBour at 0.0 by UK exported Chastity (Hall 13, Stand D 06). Dark, earthy notes rounded off by apricot, vanilla and herbal aromas cater to just about every wish.
Hops and malt
For the beer category in particular, the technology has matured recently, so that the new generation of non-alcoholic brews has provided big surprises thanks to new production methods, rediscovered yeast cultures and the latest aroma hops. Sales figures in Germany are on track to break the 7 million hectoliter threshold. 0.5 % Vol. alcohol may still be contained under the “alcohol free” label but the internationally important 0.0 %-category also sets new quality standards. With the intense fruit and herbal notes produced by using versatile aromatic hop varieties in cold hopping, a ‘sensory fireworks display’ lets you forget about alcohol. Mainly top-fermented beer styles, such as Pale Ale, set new benchmarks here. The exhibitor Neue Bierkultur GmbH (Hall 7, Stand D 53) features not one but several beer brands so that two no-alcohol Pale Ales can be tasted and compared: Brlo Naked from Berlin and Maisel & Friends’ no-alcohol Pale Ale from Bayreuth. Hailing from Belgium is the alcohol-free beer from Neobulles (Hall 1, Stand A 05). For other no and low-alcohol products on display at ProWein 2023:
https://www.prowein.de/vis/v1/en/search?oid=29556&lang=2&ticket=35817543752876&_query=alcohol+free
For current information about ProWein 2023:
