This year industry pros are looking forward to cocktails that make a splash in the new year and crave classic drinks with an edge. There will be more invention and innovation that include non-alcoholic options, and perhaps they will even ditch the “mocktail” moniker once and for all, so says Food & Wine magazine writer, Patrice J Williams. Also tequila, tequila, tequila. It never left us but has been increasing in popularity with brands like Casamigos and Don Julio.

Below are the drink trends we will see in 2022, according to the drink pros.

Melissa-Kim Dunkley, brand manager – Red Stripe Flavours & Malta

Globally we’re seeing exponential growth with flavoured RTDs (ready to drink). Consumers want a wider range of flavour profiles, so companies have to continue to innovate, providing more flavour options in the market. Local consumers have given us the same feedback, which is why Red Stripe is launching a new flavoured beer into the market this year. Red Stripe Apple, which will join the portfolio this month, is the second flavoured beer to be introduced in the market since 2019 when Red Stripe Melon was launched. Red Stripe Lemon Paradise and Red Stripe Sorrel round out our beer flavours.

Lyshon Davis, brand manager – Spirits & Guinness

For spirits, consumer trends are for whiskey and tequila, especially among the 24-35 age group. Brands like Johnnie Walker and Don Julio from the Red Stripe spirits portfolio will continue to capture consumers keen on these categories.

CPJ’s Senior Category Manager Kemmar Lewis says flavoured whiskey. This category is an outlier when it comes to scotch. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey is the unlikely duo! Surprising flavour sensation but a whole lot of delicious! A little salty, a little sweet, a little savoury, and always smooth. Skrewball is unlike anything you’ve tasted before and is a celebration of unexpected, wild, and wonderful. The personality is one that is not afraid to break away from the crowd. Available exclusively at CPJ Market. Jack Daniel’s Honey… A little bit of honey, a whole lot of Jack! A Jack Daniel’s Honey is made with real honey using a house-made honey liqueur and blended with Old No 7. The taste is one-of-a-kind and unmistakably Jack. With hints of honey and a finish that’s naturally smooth, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey offers a naturally sweet taste of the unexpected. Available at PriceSmart, Progressive Stores, and the Hi-Lo retail chain.

Debra A Taylor-Smith, luxury portfolio manager shares her take on the Select Brands’ top wines & spirits trends for 2022.

• Moscato graduation — traditional Moscato drinkers will want to experiment with other white grape varieties with the natural segue being to Pinot Grigio.

• Grape exploration — wine drinkers are naturally curious and so consumers will want to explore other grape varieties. Among those that are ripe for the tasting are Vermentino, Albariño, Cortese, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot.

• Red blends – the red blends trend will continue to grow as this style of wine with its ripe fruit-forward notes and residual sugar makes them really easy to drink and a favourite among those wanting to drink red wines without the obvious presence of tannins.

• Flavoured everything — more flavoured gins, vodkas, and other spirits from indigenous fruit infusions to CBD, to experimenting with old spirits barrels, this trend will continue.

• Value for money — this will never go out of style.

• Rosé all day — as rosé styles vary from dry through to sweet, this refreshing, easy to drink style of wine is consumed year-round rather than mostly during the traditional summer period.

• Sparkling wines — Champagne and Prosecco sales will soar!

• Sustainable production and environmentally friendly practices will become more important to the longevity of the industry and to the wine consumer.

• Wine delivery

• Wine Education — educated is the new sexy and we predict that those in the industry will want to learn as much as they can to really capitalise on the growing trend of increased wines and spirits sales

Grace Kennedy’s Harbour Wine & Spirits, Executives Jhannel Townsend (Business Development Officer) and Denzie Sinclair (Business Development Manager) give us their vision for 2022:

• Roses we expect to see growing in demand for 2022, easy to drink, versatile, and pairs well with just about everything. It’s not too light or heavy and it’s the perfect in between when it comes to balance. Roses are also excellent to use in cocktails, using it as a base to create a huge variety of mixed cocktails. Sweet, fruity, dry, ripe, and refreshing. Frosé, rosé lemonade. Rosés are affordable and won’t break, the bank so they are perfect to create cocktails.

• Exploration of unknown or less popular grape varietals. Consumers are more curious, adventure-seeking and enthusiastic to try “niche wines”.

• No- or low-alcohol drinks will soar this year as people are even more concerned about healthy living and habits.

• Hard seltzer.

• Convenience packaging for wines, ie cans, UHT-type boxed packages, pet bottles

• Game-changer would be to-go beverage packaging/containers for wines, spirits, and cocktails for the restaurant industry.

• Increase in demand for our premium wines.

• Sparkling wines, especially within our Brut collection, also will be seeing an increase

• Prosecco and Cava will continue to soar exponentially — consumers enjoy this light, affordable alternative to a Champagne that still exemplifies luxury.

• The sweet category will continue to grow.

CPJ’s Ohran Cato, category manager for their wine portfolio, says:

It has been an interesting 2021 filled with numerous lessons and insights. What consumers will be drinking in 2022 will be influenced by a few factors notably including economic pressures, increased wine prices, experimentation, and some shortages. With this in mind, I believe the following will do well in 2022 — low-budget wines, sweet wines, red blends, barrel-aged wines, Proseccos, and other sparkling wines that drink like Champagne. Currently trending from our portfolio are brands like Josh, Mionetto Prosecco, Frontera wines, Yamana Sweet red and white, Luc Belaire, and TOSO – a new sparkling sweet wine.

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