32% of consumers try a new spirit brand in their cocktail every time/almost every time
Wholesale spirits and soft drinks
Whether it’s the latest range of gins, revitalising your whisky offering or looking to develop a cocktail menu we are here to help…
Spirit suppliers UK
Very much like other drinks categories, spirits is forever evolving, just look at the explosion of the Gin market in the past few years! Again thanks to fantastic relationships with suppliers we are able to keep you up to speed with new emerging categories and trends to ensure you have the very best to offer your customers. We have access to cocktail training classes, POS, glassware and market leading offers and promotions to help you maximise sales on spirits. Please contact info@unitywines.co.uk to find out more.
With spirits a main component part in cocktails, year on year sales of cocktails have grown. 40% of cocktail drinkers are drinking them more frequently than they were a year ago.
(Source CGA Mixed Drinks 2025)
72% of value cocktail consumers would be likely to pay more for a better-quality cocktail.
(Source: Pub & Bar – March 2018)
Our Unity Wines team is on hand to offer advice on the ideal range of wholesale spirits for your business to help you maximise sales.
Premiumisation
Customers drinking habits are changing and they now expect to see and pay for more premium spirits, so it’s important that you stock a range that will satisfy this demand.
Premium serves must incorporate high quality ingredients that is communicated via menu cues and staff, they also need to be aesthetically pleasing to the consumer.
(Source: CGA Mixed Drinks Report, April 2016)
The perfect serve
Consumers know how their drink should be served…meaning their expectations are going to be high!
of consumers rely on bar staff knowing how to make spirit and mixer drinks
Serve execution is vital, with a poor serve leading to 2 in 5 consumers not visiting the venue again with 17% being less likely to order cocktails from any venue in the future.
30% would buy more if staff were better at serving spirit and mixer drinks
78% of consumers say that aside from taste, presentation is what makes a drink perfect
Spirits
There are many subcategories of spirits ranging from the most widely consumed (vodka) to some of the smaller liqueur and speciality categories. Spirits are key components of cocktails which are now a huge demand in most on trade outlets – making sure you have the right range on the back bar and the right level of training with staff is paramount and our Unity Wines team is at hand to offer both.
Vodka
“Vodka is by far the largest sector within the UK Spirits market, making up around 30% of all sales. It remains popular due to it’s versatility and the fact that it can be used in many different types of finished drinks. We have seen a massive boom in the Cocktail market now worth over £750m and 3 of the 5 top selling cocktails are all Vodka based. The increase in premiumisation continues to boom also and we see consumers going out less but prepared to spend more on a treat/occasion and so we very often see consumers happy to pay a little more for some of the premium vodkas in the market. Celebrity endorsement also appears to be a category that is growing also with some fantastic brands being catapulted into the limelight and making their way onto a lot of back bars.” – Matt Towe, Head of Unity
Absolut espresso martini
A staple favourite why not have a go at this simple yet delicious espresso martini recipe!
Take a look at our full range of alcoholic drinks recipes here
Gin
“Gin has enjoyed years of growth and has been the most exciting sector within the spirits category for some time, we have now started to see things plateau out which we needed to see as at one point there were more than 6,000 Gin brands globally! One of the areas that saw significant growth was flavoured Gin, at one point every 1 in 5 gins sold was a flavoured Gin, this has now dropped off significantly with sales 50% down however we have seen significant growth in the RTD category with many large brand owners creating Gin & Tonic in a can which work perfectly for grab and go type venues. Whilst things have settled down in the Gin category this still remains the second largest spirits category and one that will continue with brands offering provenance and quality.” – Matt Towe, Head of Unity
Long Island Iced Tea
Mix your favourite Gin with other popular spirits to create the 4th most popular cocktail – a refreshing long island iced tea!
Whisky, rum, brandy and cognac
Chosen by our team of in-house experts, we offer a range of different whisky, brandy, rum and cognacs. Take your pick from our popular selection including leading brands like Jack Daniels, Bacardi and Sailor Jerry to name but a few.
Sambuca, tequila, absinthe and liqueurs
We’ve got you covered with our wide range of spirits including popular and fashionable brands like Aperol, Amaretto and Kahlua.