WGS & Gebr. Heinemann launch ATOPIA in TR
ATOPIA Spiced Citrus, a new member of growing category NOLO – No and Low Alcohol
William Grant & Sons (WGS) has announced its premium ultra-low alcohol spirit brand, ATOPIA, is having its travel retail debut with Gebr. Heinemann in five key European duty-free airport destinations.
ATOPIA Spiced Citrus, which launched in 2019, is now available in travel retail, taking centre stage in Heinemann’s latest ‘NOLO’ (no and low alcohol) ‘Fly High on Dry’ category activation in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin and Copenhagen airports.
The first ultra-low alcohol spirit from family distillers, William Grant & Sons, ATOPIA is mindfully made from natural distillates, flavours and extracts and bottled at 0.5% ABV
Natural distillation and botanical extraction build layers of taste complexity and sophistication, with a profound flavour perfectly matched with Indian tonic water and garnished with a slice of orange.
This is the first duty free listing for ATOPIA, with more in the pipeline as the NOLO category is seeing growing interest from the travel retail market, according to Oksana Ohene-Adu, Customer Planning & Activation Manager GTR for WGS.
“We are very excited to be the first to launch ATOPIA into the duty free marketplace. We see lots of potential in this category - we plan on building up our no and low alcohol offer with a diverse range of spirits and wines to cater for this growing market,” says Gebr Heinemann Director Purchasing Liquor, Tobacco and Confectionery Ruediger Stelkens.
The ATOPIA liquid was created by Lesley Gracie, award-winning Master Distiller at William Grant & Sons. Gracie wanted to create an accessible yet special flavour profile to elevate the moderated drinking experience. Gracie comments: “ATOPIA is a special liquid that uses our distilling and blending expertise to create a new generation of spirits. Inspired by the more mindful, lifestyle choices of today’s consumer, the exquisite liquid comes in a refreshing zesty citrus meets gentle spice flavour. The distillates have been selected and combined with care and precision, meaning you can pick out each flavour separately whilst no one flavour dominates over the other. We’ve used our distilling heritage and expertise to ensure no compromise on flavour is experienced when drinking the ultra-low alcohol spirit. The flavour is full, from first taste to finish.”
The global non-alcoholic beverage market was valued at $819bn in 2019 and is projected to reach $1258bn by 2027 (CAGR of 8.2%) with projections to grow at +31% by 2024 (source: The Spirits Business).
NOLO spirits is the smallest in this category but growing fast. It has the biggest predicted growth in the category: +16% over the last five years (source: IWSR). IWSR estimates by 2024, the production volume of NOLO alcohol drinks will grow a further 31% to meet increased consumer demand.
