6 O'clock Gin, a renowned distillery known for its commitment to traditional production methods and exceptional craft, is thrilled to announce the launch of The Distillers Archive Series. This collection of small-batch gins has been meticulously crafted to immerse gin enthusiasts in the rich heritage of gin-making.
The inaugural release within The Distillers Archive Series is 6 O'clock Gin Spiced Orange and Cranberry. Crafted with precision, the gin features fresh orange peel and tart cranberries, steeped in 6 O’clock Gin’s iconic Brunel Gin. The result is a vibrant fusion of zesty citrus and warm spices of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. The gin captures the festive spirit and warmth of the season, making it a delightful choice for year-round celebrations.
"We are thrilled to introduce The Distillers Archive Series and the Spiced Orange and Cranberry Gin," said 6 O'clock Gin Marketing Director Tom Fowkes. "The Distillers Archive Series has been created to invite gin enthusiasts to embark on a journey through the rich history of gin-making. The first gin within the series not only showcases our flavour innovations but also our dedication to traditional craftsmanship.”
The Distillers Archive Series will feature a diverse range of small-batch gins released throughout the next year showcasing seasonal botanicals and traditional production techniques.
6 O’clock Gin’s Spiced Orange and Cranberry is best served over ice with premium tonic water, a twist of orange and a sprig of rosemary or alternatively, try adding to warm, mulled apple juice for an indulgently rich winter warmer.”
It is now available for purchase at select retailers and online at www.6oclockgin.com for RRP: £37.00 as well as on trade accounts.
Nick Patel, owner of Londis Kenyon Street in London, has won flights, transfers, accommodation, activities and spending money for a trip to Sevilla, the Home of Cruzcampo - Heineken UK’s new premium lager brand.
Patel won a competition, which ran in partnership with Booker from 11 September to 8 October, where every 20 cases of Cruzcampo purchased during the period resulted in an automatic entry into the prize draw, with the grand prize being a trip to Sevilla.
“I was so excited when I got the call,” Patel said.
“Spanish beer does really well in our store, and Cruzcampo is by far the most popular. We have a mix of formats including the bottles, 4-pack and 10-pack, which does particularly well. Retailers work really hard – there are a lot of things we have to sacrifice to keep our businesses running and this is a massive privilege. I’m looking forward to getting that break away and enjoying some beers in the sun!”
This activation is the latest of Heineken UK’s efforts to create excitement and engagement around Cruzcampo, which has performed incredibly well since its UK launch in 2023. Generating £88m in retail sales across the market and owning a 1.8 per cent share of beer sales in the Impulse channel [Nielsen ScanTrack, August 2023 – November 2024], the brand taps into shoppers’ growing demand for more premium continental lagers that still offer value for money.
A £10m marketing campaign, ‘Choose to Cruz’, made Cruzcampo unmissable this summer – reaching more than 24 million consumers. The advert featured an intriguing character rolling on a keg across the streets of Sevilla, Spain, demonstrating that as life gets hectic, you can opt for the ‘Sevillian way of life’, to choose to relax, live in the moment and take things as they come – all of which embody what Cruzcampo stands for.
“We are thrilled for Nick Patel. We are always looking at ways to engage and reward our retailer partners, and what a joy it is to be able to offer as exciting a prize as a trip to Sevilla with Cruzcampo,” Paul Gordon, head of marketing activation at Heineken UK, commented.
“This activation with Booker gave us an opportunity to give something back and create some real excitement with those customers, and we’re delighted with the result.”
Born in Sevilla in 1904, Cruzcampo is Spain’s number one draught beer and therefore offers drinkers an authentic taste of the country. A premium Spanish lager that offers all the advantages of premium beers at an affordable price, Cruzcampo provides consumers with a great quality experience that is a step up from classic lager brands while remaining accessible.
To find out more about Cruzcampo, retailers can head to Heineken UK’s Star Retailer platform at www.starretailer.co.uk/. The Star Retailer scheme is a loyalty scheme providing beer and cider category guidance tailored for convenience stores. Backed by a £10m+ investment from Heineken UK, the scheme boasts over 13 years of retailer support, having collaborated with 18,000+ stores.
Baking brand Betty Crocker has launched its latest seasonal treat in celebration of the festive period: the Cookies For Santa cookie kit.
Designed to capture the magic of Christmas with eye-catching packaging and seasonal sprinkles, the kit will appeal to shoppers looking for an easy and enjoyable home baking experience.
Available with a classic vanilla flavour icing, The Cookies For Santa kit delivers Betty Crocker’s trusted taste and quality in festive packaging guaranteed to grab attention in the seasonal aisles. Each kit produces 12 delicious cookies, offering great value for money along with a memorable family activity across the holiday period.
Betty Crocker is supporting the SKU with a £100,000 gross media value campaign, including paid social and in-store activity, to maximise brand visibility during the holidays – a key period for home baking.
“Our Cookies For Santa kit is a perfect choice for families of all ages to try across the festive period, delivering some delicious fun for budding home bakers across the UK,” JP Del Carmen, head of snacks and baking UK at General Mills, said.
“Seasonally relevant products are always a hit with shoppers looking to get into the festive spirit – and our latest kit is sure to draw demand with its great value, trusted quality and eye-catching, Christmas packaging!”
Betty Crocker Cookies For Santa Kit is available now in One Stop stores, alongside Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Co-Op. RRP: £3.00
Premium Italian Sparkling Drinks brand, Sanpellegrino has unveiled a redesign of its iconic cans range in the UK.
A longtime favourite with consumers thanks to its authentic Italian flair and real fruit juice flavours, the Sanpellegrino range has a new, striking can design across both its individual and multipack formats. The updated look and feel have been chosen to reinforce Sanpellegrino’s distinctive brand attributes of delicious and sun ripened fruits and Italian origins.
The refreshed packaging forms part of Sanpellegrino’s plan to solidify its brand’s positioning in the UK, which will also include a new, inspirational communications campaign and the introduction of an exciting extension of the fruit flavoured sparkling drinks range – Sanpellegrino Zero Added Sugar – as the brand continues to lead the speciality soda category in the UK.
The new visual identity aims to bring to life the brand’s DNA by playing homage to Sanpellegrino’s Italian roots, craftmanship and heritage through its iconic blue shield.
Bold and vibrant colours make an impact on-shelf and are inspired by the citrus flavours of the range. Inclusion of citrus fruits on-pack celebrates the quality of the fruit juices in a natural and authentic way, whilst highlighting the provenance of ingredients used.
Allowing customers to learn more about the world of Sanpellegrino, the newly designed multipacks feature top of pack storytelling educating on the authenticity of ingredients whilst giving a taste of a true Italian lifestyle.
The Sanpellegrino Italian Sparkling Drinks range features six citrus fruit flavours, including Limonata (lemon), Aranciata (orange), Aranciata Rossa (blood orange), Melograno & Arancia (pomegranate & orange), Pompelmo (grapefruit) and Limone & Menta (lemon and mint). Each can contains 16% real fruit juice sourced from Italy and the Mediterranean. The range is non-HFSS and compliant with the HFSS promotional regulations.
Aryna Yersak, Brand Manager at Sanpellegrino comments, “We are delighted to unveil our new and refreshing pack design across our Italian sparkling drinks range. The new look and feel aims to offer a more premium drinking experience and bring to life the authenticity of our speciality soda range, which is made only with the highest-quality, Mediterranean fruit juices.”
The Sanpellegrino Italian sparkling drinks range provides consumers with the superior taste Sanpellegrino is renowned for, thanks to the provenance of its ingredients and Italian flair. Since 1932, Sanpellegrino has crafted Italian sparkling drinks with high quality fruit juices to create authentic, premium drinks with distinctive flavour.
The Sanpellegrino range is available to purchase in most major wholesalers.
Leading confectionery wholesaler Hancocks has urged retailers to stock up early on new Kingsway products ahead of Veganuary.
Year on year Veganuary continues to grow and in 2024, 25 million people worldwide took part in the challenge.
Hancocks has introduced new vegan and vegetarian products this year to their Kingsway range including Vegan Sour Dummies, Raspberry Liquorice Slices, Mega Value Vegan Assorted Fizzy Mix, Giant Cola Bottles, Sugar Coated Strawberries, Vegan Mega Value Sour Bears, Vegan Cherry Fish, Sour Apple Cubes and Fried Eggs.
“Veganuary and veganism is becoming more and more popular each year and it's important for retailers to keep up with this demand,” Kathryn Hague, head of marketing at Hancocks, said.
“We’re really proud to be able to offer such a wide range of vegan products to our customers to help them cater to the needs of their shoppers with different dietary requirements.”
Kingsway Vegan Cherry Fish are bright red coloured, cherry flavoured gummy sweets. These moreish fish shaped sweets are ideal for pick and mix displays or repackaged into smaller bags.
The Sour Apple Cubes offer a twist on a pick and mix classic for vegans and vegetarians to enjoy and eye-catching Raspberry Liquorice Slices are also expected to be a popular addition to the vegan range.
The raspberry flavoured sweets have a sugar paste filling with small pieces of liquorice.
Kingsway Giant Cola Bottles are also new to the vegan range, alongside Kingsway Sugar Coated Strawberries and Kingsway Fried Eggs.
“Vegan products work best in store when they are clearly branded and categorised, helping shoppers to distinguish the products available. During Veganuary placement will be key and it’s a great time to increase the visibility of these ranges,” Hague added.
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Vikram Damodaran, chief innovation officer (L), and Hina Nagarajan, managing director and chief executive of Diageo India
Godawan Artisanal Indian Single Malt, Diageo India’s most awarded single malt, made its highly anticipated debut in the UK.
Developed under the philosophy and programme of The Good Craft Co. - Diageo India’s craft and innovation hub, Godawan is rooted in the ideals of mindful luxury. The liquid uses locally sourced six-row barley and is distilled in Alwar, Rajasthan, at one of the highest-rated sustainable distilleries in the country.
The purpose-driven brand is working towards the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard - a majestic bird that symbolises Godawan’s legacy, heritage, and home, once widespread across India but is now labelled Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Godawan has previously launched Godawan 100, winner of the ‘Taste Master of the Year’ at The Spirits Business World Whisky Masters 2024 and ‘Single Malt Whisky of the Year’ at the London Spirits Competition 2024, a limited edition with 100 bottles, an ode to the 100 surviving birds.
“This is a momentous occasion for us as a company, and for Indian craft spirits,” Hina Nagarajan, managing director and chief executive of Diageo India, said.
“With its distinctive quality and exceptional craftsmanship, we’re excited to introduce this award-winning Indian single malt to the UK market. We have always said that it’s not just about luxury – but rather luxury with a purpose, which Godawan embodies in every facet. We are thrilled to be able to offer consumers in UK a taste of Indian excellence.”
Vikram Damodaran, chief innovation officer of Diageo India, added: “Godawan is more than a single malt – it is exceptional in every form, a tribute to Indian artistry and heritage, and a rare spirit crafted with a unique purpose. The festive season is a perfect occasion for whisky lovers and enthusiasts to spend time and explore the pinnacle of Indian craftsmanship by Diageo. This expansion is bringing a taste of that luxury and artistry to people across the world.”
The brand’s Rich & Rounded and Fruit & Spice expressions (ABV: 46%) are now available across London in 700ml bottles. RRP: £65.