Page 54 - TFWA World Exhibit 2022 Special Edition

INSIDER

Canada’s Victoria International Airport partnered with local craft distiller Victoria Distillers to open
North America’s first airport gin distillery last September.

Gin takes aim at the Americas, sees potential in Travel Retail

Gin may be a modest category in the Americas, but it’s premiumizing fast and should be on the radar of duty free buyers, writes Joe Bates

Gin is steadily resuming its growth CAGR of 31% over the next four years. another leading duty free drinks distributor
curve in the Americas duty free market IWSR forecasts that gin volume in focused on the Americas, takes a slightly
following the disruption caused by the Americas duty free will get back to near- more cautious view of gin’s regional
COVID-19 pandemic over the past two 2019 levels by 2025. growth potential. “Gin has performed very
years. The category is still small compared Certainly, Barry Geoghegan, founder well this year and last. However, we see
to other white spirits in volume terms but of duty free drinks distributor Duty Free some signs of saturation and a slowdown of
gin is premiumizing, fueled by increasing Global, whose gin portfolio includes the the category recently.”
interest from American consumers and English craft gin Silent Pool; Broker’s, Monarq’s eclectic gin portfolio
European travelers returning to the region an English gin owned by McCormick includes well-known brands such as
following the pandemic. Distilling, and Irish brand Drumshanbo Greenall’s, Bloom and Opihr from
Like every other spirits category, gin Gunpowder Irish Gin, takes an upbeat view Quintessential Brands, Pernod Ricard’s
was not immune to the effects of COVID. of the category’s prospects. “We have seen Italian gin Malfy and Zamora’s Martin
Duty free volumes of gin in the Americas a real interest from U.S. operators for a Miller’s, but also more exotic gins from
plummeted 77.5% in 2020, according to diverse mix of gins in their assortment. We Vietnam (Saigon Baigur) and Japan (The
the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, before are in the early stages but cruise retail and Hakuto). “Gins from the world have
recovering 21% to nearly 75,000 cases last airport stores are the channels showing the
year as international travel in the region most interest.
restarted. The outlook for the future looks “DFS [Group] have been a strong
a lot brighter, however, with the IWSR supporter and are seeing the potential in
forecasting gin will grow at a healthy growing their gin category, in particular on
the East and West coasts of America with
international flights.”
In contrast, Robert de Monchy,
managing director of Monarq Group,
Left: McCormick Distilling’s Broker’s Gin is
part of Duty Free Global’s portfolio of gin
brands from around the world.
Right: Greenall Gin is featured in Monarq
Group’s eclectc gin portfolio.

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