UK – Diageo, the fifth-largest spirits company by revenue, has expanded its alcoholic-free alternatives to its original iconic portfolio with the launch of Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0%.
Diageo’s innovation team has developed this latest alcohol-free offering over the past two years to finally start commercializing in September.
Amanda Brown, a liquid scientist at Diageo, said: “It’s been an exciting journey working on Diageo’s first alcohol-free dark ‘spirit’. When creating Captain Morgan 0.0%, we went through more than 400 recipes before we were able to capture the iconic rum and spice flavor of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold, but without the alcohol.”
“Captain Morgan 0.0% has been created by layering flavors that deliver the complexity and depth that consumers know and love.”
Those who have tasted the new offering said it offers a spiced flavor profile similar to that of its alcoholic counterpart, with ‘intricate layers of flavor’ starting with rich notes of caramel, molasses, vanilla, and warm brown spices.
Diageo said the launch has been timed to tap into ‘the increasing popularity of rum’, with Captain Morgan seeing global organic net sales growth of 2% in the firm’s full-year 2023 preliminary results.
Samori Gambrah, global brand director at Captain Morgan said: “With a resurgence of rum as a drink of choice and 47% of UK adults switching between alcohol and low and alcohol-free drinks4, Captain Morgan 0.0% is perfectly placed to not only meet growing demand but also give those looking to moderate their consumption a new alternative.”
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 0.0% will initially launch in Great Britain in September with an RRP of £15 (US$19). Launches in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia will follow later this year, with further rollout across Europe planned for 2024.
In 2019, Seedlip, a pioneering non-alcoholic spirit was acquired (for an undisclosed sum) by global drinks corporation Diageo, slipping its first foot into the non-alcoholic spirits category.
The acquisition followed a minority investment from the Diageo-backed accelerator programme Distill Ventures, in June 2016, in Seedlip.
According to Allied Markets Research, non-alcoholic spirits are more expensive than alcoholic spirits and soft drinks.
The product’s high cost reflects the complex manufacturing process of non-alcoholic spirits. The distillation process requires cutting-edge distillery machinery, which is more expensive to purchase and maintain.
The dealcoholization process wastes gallons of alcohol and other liquid bases, making the finished product more expensive than alcoholic spirits.
However, the global non-alcoholic spirits market size was valued at US$281.1 million in 2021 and is projected to reach US$642.4 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2022 to 2031.
On the basis of product type, the tequila segment, which is projected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the projected period, will overtake the whisky segment, which garnered the largest non-alcoholic spirits market share in 2021,.
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