WHAT IS TRENDING IN THE
WORLD OF SPIRITS THIS YEAR
Tatiana Petrakova
- tastewiththat
Founder :@tastewithtat
As industry professionals, we could get easily
stuck in the bubble of one spirits category,
one style, one story. Whatever is important
and relevant in the day to day job, be it
market specific or global.Writing this article
was a refreshing opportunity to step back
from daily industry routines and explore
what’s truly shaping the global spirits
landscape.
This isn’t a generic summary or a quick online
compilation, but a collection of personal
insights drawn from my experiences in the UK
and travels across some of the world’s most
diverse markets from Armenia and Georgia
to Latvia and Malaysia.
Global Perspective Shift
Less is definitely more these days. As we all choose quality over quantity, be it when having a drink or in all other areas of our lives, we choose to spend more on better things. And better things mean things with a soul – that are authentic, that carry heritage, that come from a terroir and that have a strong identity
Less is definitely more these days. As we all choose quality over quantity, be it when having a drink or in all other areas of our lives, we choose to spend more on better things. And better things mean things with a soul – that are authentic, that carry heritage, that come from a terroir and that have a strong identity
With that, the current success stories that
gain global momentum despite overall
challenging times feature whisk(y)e, tequila,
mezcal and sake categories – all with strong
focus on authenticity, craftsmanship and
cultural experience.
Whiskies in Wine Casks
The Whisky category has always created its own trends relying heavily on storytelling and limited editions. This year the hottest trend in the world of whisky is wine, or rather wine casks with their unique nuances when it comes to maturation and various whisky finishes.
The Whisky category has always created its own trends relying heavily on storytelling and limited editions. This year the hottest trend in the world of whisky is wine, or rather wine casks with their unique nuances when it comes to maturation and various whisky finishes.
Rather than just traditional sherry and port,
whisky makers currently experiment with
more unusual wine types and wine regions –
ice wine, Syrah, dessert wines.
The Dalmore has just released its Cask
Curation Series III: Red Wine Cask editions
with rare and old collectable liquids of 24, 34
and 43 years of age showing their unique
characteristics obtained in Châteauneuf
-du-Pape casks.
One of the most authentic Irish whiskey
houses Kinahan’s, famous for its progressive
innovation in Hybrid Cask maturation, has
released its annual limited Special Release
Project cask-strength whiskies matured in
Amarone and Merlot wine casks.
Meanwhile, another heritage Irish whiskey
brand Bagots has its sole focus on wine cask
maturation, due to the brand’s history linked
with the most prominent Irish wine merchants
of the early 20th century, Bagots & Hutton. In
2025 Bagots released its new Limited & Rare
collection of Madeira, White Moscatel and
Oloroso single cask whiskies that translates
each of the wine’s character into the deep
concentrated flavour notes and unique taste
profile of whiskies.
Tequila Terroir & Mezcal RTDs
Tequila has firmly established itself as a sophisticated sipping spirit in the last few years, stepping away from just simple party shooting reputation. Premium 100% agave tequilas dominate the market trends, and the focus has shifted from celebrity names to terroir: place, soil and agave.
Tequila has firmly established itself as a sophisticated sipping spirit in the last few years, stepping away from just simple party shooting reputation. Premium 100% agave tequilas dominate the market trends, and the focus has shifted from celebrity names to terroir: place, soil and agave.
Perhaps the benchmark for terroir-driven
tequila is Tequila Ocho. Each of its release
comes from a single rancho (estate) within
Jalisco, with the label naming the plot and
harvest year.
Tequila’s younger brother, mezcal, is getting
hotter day by day, firmly tied to Mexican
cultural identity on a global stage. It
embodies craft, artisanal production, and
cultural storytelling. It
embodies craft, artisanal production, and
cultural storytelling. Its smoky complexity and
regional diversity from espadín to rarer agave
29
5 0 T H E D I T I O N
varieties like tobalá or tepeztate, attract
adventurous drinkers and industry’s
connoisseurs who seek the most authentic
experience.
It is about drinking a story, not just a liquid.
With the famous Día de los Muertos – The
Day of the Dead festival approaching at the
end of October-beginning of November, it
will be a perfect occasion to raise a small clay
cup filled with your mezcal of choice (mine is
Ojo de Dios) and remember your ancestors.
For the younger cohort of drinkers that favour
the fastest growing trend of ready-to- drink
(RTD) cocktails for their ‘cocktail experience’
(balanced recipe, real spirits, fun packaging)
and convenience, mezcal got a special
offering. In the UK Bloody Mezcal Maria was
launched this September by a progressive
partnership of Ojo de Dios mezcal and
Bloody Drinks teams.
Sake: Tradition Meets Global Curiosity
Sake is undergoing a quiet but meaningful international renaissance. Exports from Japan reached record highs last year.
Sake is undergoing a quiet but meaningful international renaissance. Exports from Japan reached record highs last year.
The trend for premium Junmai Daiginjo and
Junmai sake started in North America a few
years ago. Progressive producers, like Hiro
Sake helped modernize the category by
refreshing its packaging and attracting
younger consumers with lower alcohol
content, gluten-free credentials and strong
cultural identity. It is now widely available
across all Whole Foods Market stores in the
US, taking sake consumption to consumer
homes and social dinner occasions.
This year of 2025, the UK has joined the sake revolution, reporting a huge rise in sake sales
and sake searches on the web, with modern
sake brands SOTO and KAY gaining UK
distribution and focusing on the on-trade
customers, and cocktails like sake spritzer
and sake martini.
To summarise, it’s been a very rewarding year
so far across the multitude of spirits
categories with some predictable trends, and
some that caught me completely by surprise.
What is important however, is that
provenance, heritage and meaningful
drinking are more and more at the heart of
our current social culture and drinking
choices.
Whatever you are drinking now, may
it be a glass that tells a story – of place,
people and tradition. Good health!
