Bombay Sapphire on driving gin’s appeal in US

Gin brand Bombay Sapphire is tapping into “sessionable serves” to make the category “more accessible” to US drinkers.

Earlier this summer, Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire has launched its Tastes like it’s Friday campaign, along with a signature serve to pique the interest of Gen Z and Millennials.

Bombay Sapphire’s brand director Jaime Keller says that the focus for the brand is to “usher in that next generation of gin drinkers” and to “make the category more appealing to the consumer” in the US, where there are “fundamental differences between the growth of the gin category relative to the rest of the world”.

On how the brand is doing this, the Tastes like it’s Friday campaign is about “bringing gin out of the dark cocktail bar into the light of day”, Keller says. The campaign is supported by a simple serve called the Sparkling Lemon – made with Bombay Sapphire and sparkling lemonade – which enables the brand to “remove the complexity from gin and make the category more accessible”, Keller explains.

She adds that the consumer feedback from the cocktail is that it’s easy to make and easy to drink, and in turn is fundamentally changing their perceptions of gin. “That is what is allowing us to see the recruitment of non-gin drinkers into the country.”

The cocktail has the same sort of simplicity as the Aperol Spritz using a flavour profile that is universally loved, but with citrus. Keller notes that citrus-forward cocktails like the Collins and French 75 are some of the top growing cocktails in the on-trade.

“From a consumer point of view we see lemon cocktails scoring among the highest in purchase intent. When we look at driving liquid to lips to the consumers, we’re also seeing about a 30% increase in conversion rate from what we’ve been doing with the cocktail strategy before, which was a little bit more classic. We’re seeing the positive consumer sentiment by having something that is easy to make, easy to drink, more accessible and lighter and brighter.”

In the US, tonic is perhaps not as approachable or understood as it might in the UK or Europe. Existing gin drinkers who are already well-versed in gin might be comfortable with tonic, but it can create a “barrier” in the US, Keller explains: “If a consumer understands today that gin is a gin and tonic, or it’s in a Martini or a Negroni, all three of those are higher ABV, and they have a more challenging flavour profile for a consumer that is entering the category.

“However, when we bring forward the Bombay Sapphire Sparkling Lemon, the serve is more sessionable. The drink is lighter and brighter, and Bombay Sapphire is also uniquely served to be the spirit in that cocktail because of the way we 100% sustainably source our ingredients and with how our master distiller Dr Anne Brock vapour infuses the spirit through distillations. Our gin is uniquely suited because of our ingredients and our process, and that it pairs really well with the lemon and effervescence of the club soda.”

Overcoming education and accessibility barriers

The premium-priced gin category will be the focal point for the brand going forward, which Keller cites via Nielsen data, is expected to be the third-fastest growing premium-plus category within spirits.

Bombay Sapphire’s Premier Cru is said to enhance cocktails like a Martini or lift a French 75, as the product is made in collaboration with local farmers, who sustainably source lemons, mandarins and sweet oranges, all of which are sourced from Murcia, Spain. Brock then amplifies the natural characteristics of the ingredients through a vapour infusion process.

Premier Cru is not traditionally a flavoured gin in the sense that its not flavoured post distillation, and Kelly believes that the focus on craftsmanship makes it a “standout” in the super-premium category.

This also ties in with bringing in younger consumers, who are experimenting more with cocktails and preferring higher quality over quantity in their consumption, and which has a favourable outlook for gin, Keller says.

“Gen Z, Millennials… younger drinkers, they’re certainly driving a shift towards premiumisation and sessionability in gin.

“We know that with bartenders, gin is among their favourite spirits to work with. Bartenders become this incredible gateway to the consumer, and the youngest consumer is starting to see the appreciation in gin that bartenders are seeing.”

“We also recognise that within gin, there’s a challenge around education and understanding gin strategy, so our focus is continue to unlock some of those barriers, in particular with the younger generation of consumers, so with the Sparkling Lemon campaign, that really helps deliver on how we overcome some of the education barriers and the accessibility barriers.”

More sessionable and less challenging

The Sparkling Lemon and putting cocktails at the forefront is what Kelly feels “makes gin more approachable without compromising on sophistication”.

She explains: “Sparkling Lemon embodies simplicity and vibrancy making it a perfect introduction to those that are exploring gin for the first time, while making gin serves more sessionable and less challenging for those not yet comfortable in the category.

“In terms of the Sparkling Lemon being a great gateway into the category versus other serves that are better suited for existing gin drinkers, what we want to do is show a new wave of growth and lead consumers into the category, make them familiar with gin and the differences among gin – and then over time allow them to explore the other serves that are in the category.”

Ultimately, Keller also welcomes other brands to open themselves up to the “runway of growth” that premium gin has.

“It’s critical for us to grow as [gin in the US is] 3% of total spirits share and it’s important we leverage the opportunity and start to do something different because we need to win from outside of gin in order for the entire category to flourish”, she says.

“We have a unique approach to botanical sourcing and to our vapour distillation process (we are the only major gin brand to use vapour distillation), and other brands then have regionality and heritage.

“Together, It’s going to shine a light on the versatility of gin and create more consumer interest as, at the end of the day, the entire category will benefit and grow from new innovations.

“We’ve seen the changing of the guards in Tequila, the changing of the guards in Bourbon. I think that gin and Bombay Sapphire is the next frontier for spirit excitement.”