“Consumers want convenience but they don’t want to compromise on taste” – Bombay Sapphire global VP at Bacardi, Natasha Curtin

Prior to Bombay Sapphire, Natasha Curtin worked on Grey Goose vodka with Bacardi Just Drinks: Why has Bacardi decided to launch a new flavoured gin expression - Bombay Citron Pressé- now? Natasha Curtin, global VP for Bombay Sapphire: After the success of Bombay Bramble, we wanted to continue to elevate flavoured [gin] standards and also provide an answer to what our consumers were looking for. We wanted to give drinkers something new and exciting to explore, but to do it in a way that feels authentic and still has our signature gin present as a flavour. That's something we've heard time and time again from our consumers. They loved the exploration of flavour in Bombay Bramble, but especially enjoyed the fact it tasted natural and authentic and still like our London Dry Gin. For Citron Pressé, we were inspired by the classic Tom Collins and thought we could use it as the base for a flavour innovation. We worked with our master of botanicals, Ivano Tonutti, to find the best Mediterranean lemons, and with our master distiller Anne Brock to create a unique liquid using our signature vapour infusion process. JD: Last time we spoke, COVID-19 was running wild. What has the pandemic done for/to the surging return of gin witnessed prior to 2020? NC: Throughout the pandemic, people were trying to bring experiences and creativity into the home while they weren't able to visit bars and restaurants. We saw a huge interest in cocktail creation, and consequently a huge uptick on our website and consumer engagement. People were asking "How do I host at home?", "How do I elevate and make things special?". We saw high searches on how to make lots of gin-based cocktails at home, how to shake cocktails properly, and so on. As things have opened up, we've seen that people are wanting to go out and connect with friends in their favourite bars. They want to have special occasions and elevated moments. We're seeing continued creativity at home, but when people are going out they really want to make it special and make it count. JD: Has the pandemic accelerated the on-premise cocktail trend towards premiumisation? The gin category is thriving, it's still one of the fastest-growing spirits and is forecast to continue to be in the next five years [The Gin & genever category is set to increase in value by a CAGR of 2.06% CAGR between 2022-2026, according to GlobalData]. We're seeing it premiumising and that's a reflection of consumers wishing to elevate how and what they drink when they go out. JD: Beyond new flavour extensions, what other prospects do you see for the category in terms of growth? Growth in gin is coming from premiumisation, innovation and through consumers becoming more daring and creative in how and where they drink it. The gin & tonic remains the staple serve, but we've seen a lot of experimentation with gin cocktail creations, from summer punches to twists on the Negroni, the Mule and the Red Snapper. In the last 12 months, we've launched Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru [Murcian Lemon Gin], which is our super-premium expression, and we've also expanded into RTDs. People want to enjoy gin in different ways and on different occasions now - our ambition for that line was to provide bar-quality serves on the go. Consumers want convenience but they don't want to compromise on taste. The RTD is a really important way we can give people access to our brand in new occasions such as on-the-go. JD: How are the Bombay Sapphire RTDs performing? Are we likely to see further NPD in this area in the future? The feedback we've had from our consumers is that they've really enjoyed that it's a bar-quality offering in an RTD format. We'll continue to push further innovation whilst making sure we don't compromise on taste. We’ve also launched Bombay Bramble in an RTD format in the past 12 months. JD: Will we see a Citron Presse RTD next? NC: Watch this space! JD: Bacardi also announced last year that the ten botanicals in Bombay Sapphire were on the verge of securing sustainability certification. Have you managed to get this over the line yet? NC: Yes. Our suppliers for all of our botanicals are now certified as sustainable. We're really proud of the incredible amount of work done by [master of botanicals] Ivano Tonutti in the last ten years working with growers to achieve that goal. JD: Has the gin 'shake-out' started, or has it already finished? At a global level, gin is still growing. There's continued interest - particularly from our perspective - for premium and innovative offerings, but also a continued love for traditional gin. How and where to consume is always expanding and we're seeing new consumers entering the segment. There's lots of life and vibrancy in the category yet.