Reducing alcohol intake is no longer simply seen as a beginning-of-the-year flagellation. It’s become something of a truism to say that this trend has been driven by health-conscious Gen Z consumers: 44% of 18 to 25-year-olds choose low and no-alcohol, while 39% avoid alcohol entirely (source: YouGov). However, a lot of alcohol-free drinks are bought by those seeking moderation; people who don’t want to drop booze completely but are keen to drink less of it without sacrificing flavour and complexity. 

In Scotland, beer is leading the response to these changing tastes. For example, this year Jump/Ship Brewing launched Scotland’s first fully alcohol-free brewery. Founded by Sonja Mitchell in 2019, Jump/Ship came about when she could only find weak, imported alcohol-free lagers, rather than the Scottish craft beers she loved. ‘It felt fundamentally wrong that you should be given a worse offering just because you didn’t want the alcohol,’ says Mitchell. The new brewery at Pathhead in Midlothian will quadruple capacity for Jump/Ship; and it’s needed: UK sales of non-alcoholic drinks grew 89% between 2018 to 2023, and are predicted to more than double again by 2028 (source: Mintel). 

This shift is not just about beer. Made in Fife, Feragaia is a non-alcoholic spirit; layered and complex, it has citrus, herbaceous and spiced notes, and botanicals including chamomile and cayenne. Significantly, it doesn’t pretend to be gin (and is all the better for it). Feragaia founder Jamie Wild says consumer awareness was an initial barrier, but they found keen advocates among chefs and bartenders. ‘These are the people who really care about provenance and craft, and the care and attention that goes into our spirit,’ he notes. ‘They are our greatest champions.’

One such champion is Caoimhe Duignan at Hawksmoor Edinburgh. ‘It’s all about inclusivity,’ she says. ‘We want to be able to match the eating experience with our drinks. It’s not the percentage of alcohol that creates that experience, it’s the quality, and no one should be left out.’ Hawksmoor has developed alcohol-free cocktails with intricate flavours and textures, while new Edinburgh restaurant Montrose offers soft-drink pairings for their tasting menu, including sea buckthorn with bergamot, and a tannin-rich blackcurrant shrub. 

Pubs are in on the game too. ‘We have definitely seen an increase in low-alcohol orders,’ confirms Jonny Kane at Roseleaf in Leith. ‘We try to have a good range from Jump/Ship, plus Lust For Life (an IPA from Brulo) and Guinness 0% which is popular and delicious.’ Edinburgh’s Salt Horse has just launched an alcohol-free beer on tap, and now carries Athletic Brewing from the US. The bar reports a big increase in orders, but, according to Robert Taylor, for their customers it’s about moderation rather than giving up. ‘It’s not that people aren’t drinkers,’ he insists. ‘They just want choice.’

What’s in the glass? 

In the UK, ‘alcohol-free’ means drinks below 0.05% ABV. Below 0.5% is labelled ‘de-alcoholised’, a misleading term as many products in this category aren’t stripped of their alcohol, but brewed or distilled to remain under 0.5% ABV. Across the EU and most of the world, 0.5% can be legally labelled alcohol-free which, given a ripe banana contains the same amount of alcohol, seems a more sensible approach.