Skyy has become the latest brand to launch a line of flavoured vodkas here in the UK. The premium vodka market is notoriously competitive, with a new brand aiming to meet demand for top-end vodkas seemingly launched every month.

Just-drinks attended the launch of the flavoured Skyy range in London last night, sceptical that the brand can succeed in a segment where Finlandia and especially Absolut is dominant.

However, during the course of the evening, our doubts were allayed first of all by the striking taste of Skyy’s flavours but also because of the plans for the brand throughout the UK.

Let’s face it, London’s backbars are overflowing with a whole range of self-proclaimed “super-premium” spirits, let alone vodka.

Brand owners should cast their eyes around the UK and witness the rise of exclusive bars in cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow and Edinburgh further afield.

On a per capita basis, Scotland has the highest level of vodka consumption in the UK. Skyy, which is distributed by the Stirling-based Fior Brands, seems to be in the best position to capitalise on that trend - and the burgeoning bar scene in Scottish cities.

Too many owners of premium vodkas seem blinded by the lights and think they must conquer the London bar scene to be a hit in the UK. They couldn’t be more wrong.