Pernod Ricard: flavoured gin ‘here to stay’
Pernod Ricard’s vice-president of marketing for global gin explains how the company is handling a category entering its next phase and why flavoured gin will be sticking around.
“We have a responsibility to make sure the gin category stays vibrant,” says Pernod Ricard’s vice-president of marketing for global gin, Murielle Dessenis.
Gin might have matured in the UK and Europe – established markets that Dessenis says have “decelerated significantly” – but she feels there’s still room for growth in the category, especially in the rest of the world.
“Around the world, we can see potential in Latin America. I’ve been in conversation with the team in China and gin is booming there.
“There’s been an agreement with the UK and India (an announcement that Pernod Ricard hosted at the Beefeater Distillery in London), and clearly India is a big market for gin. We already have a strong presence with Beefeater there, and there is space for premium and super-premium brands. There’s also a community of bartenders that’s growing very fast in Asia and India.
“We’re very thrilled by the agreement, definitely. It’s going to take a bit of time, but it will have an impact, I hope.”
Pernod also took full ownership of South African gin Inverroche in February. South Africa is another region with big potential for gin, Dessenis says, and a market where Pernod has been “very present” with Beefeater.
Beefeater takes the spotlight
In the firm’s financial results for the first half of 2025, sales for Beefeater gin were flat.
Dessenis says Pernod is focusing on presenting the brand as a ‘cool but sophisticated spirit’, which plays into its Spirit of London campaign that launched at the start of the year.
The campaign debuted in Brazil in January and showcases London as a city that represents freedom and vibrancy, with consumers positioned as ‘urban experts’ and ‘teammates’. Dessenis says the idea is to “reunite people” and make the gin moment “convivial and full of energy and possibilities”.
“Gin is a serious spirit, but it also doesn’t take itself too seriously,” she says. “It’s about the social bonding power, because this is really the spirit of meeting with friends. There is a sensoriality when you’re talking about gin, which is not the case for all categories and spirits.
“Gin is one of the higher, if not the highest, in terms of bonding and connecting people. It’s one of the key consumer trends that has made gin so dynamic in the past.”
Changing consumer attitudes
During gin’s peak in the UK, the category attracted multiple age groups. But with gin’s slowdown, Dessenis says the 18-25 age bracket has become more “versatile”. “They’re moving to other spirits, or even white wine and beer, especially in the UK. That’s true of this younger generation, who are perhaps less ‘loyal’ and more looking for new discoveries in taste and spirits.”
Looking at the older gin drinkers, Dessenis says that in contrast, “beyond 25 years old, there is a strong resilience for gin – the penetration always says the number of people drinking is very steady and even sometimes in recruitment, but it’s more in terms of occasions when sometimes they can opt for other drinks.”
With flavoured gin waning, Pernod is also looking at what will be “the next expression of gin, within gin”. Dessenis suggests could be in the non-alcoholic space.
“We know that moderation, especially with no alcohol, has big potential for growth in the coming years. This is linked to a change of behaviour, with the famous ‘flexi drinking’. We know gin and the big brands in gin have the biggest chance to win this opportunity.”
To support this trend, the company launched its Beefeater 0.0% ABV expression, which is being “scaled up around the world”.
“We can see that the occasion, frequency and what young adults are drinking is changing a lot and this is where we believe that gin has a good opportunity,” she says.
Dessenis adds: “If you’re not drinking alcohol, you still deserve a fantastic taste experience. I’m very confident this trend is going to bring a lot to our industry.
“There is fantastic work still to be done, also on non-alc with bartenders. I was genuinely impressed by the creativity on mocktails from the bartenders we teamed up with at Swift in London.”
Maturing market
Despite their decline, Dessenis still sees flavours as an “interesting trend” and that the segment has just “matured”: “Flavour has been one of the key drivers of the success of gin, providing a lot of proposition for the discovery dynamic.
“Gin drinkers love to explore, but beyond gin drinkers, we’ve also attracted a lot of consumers trying to find different tastes for different drinks. Today, flavours are decelerating significantly, but I still think they will be here to stay.
“They represent more than one bottle out of 10 of the total gin [category].”
Pernod’s launch of Beefeater Grapefruit is an example of the company trying to keep up with the curve, with Dessenis saying the firm is hoping to leverage flavoured expressions by thinking in terms of occasions. She believes Beefeater Grapefruit will “play in the Paloma opportunity”, adding that grapefruit is a “very strong flavour when it comes to occasions like the aperitivo moment”.
A gin for every occasion
Beyond Beefeater, which caters to the London Dry segment, Pernod’s other main gins include Ki No Bi, Monkey 47 and Malfy.
For Dessenis, the gin dynamic today is “experiential” and “not very rational”. “There is something very emotional in the way you consume gin, why you consume gin, and with whom you consume gin. Each of our brands has a key relationship with culture.
“Malfy is a beautiful brand coming from Italy, which is really embracing the ‘la dolce vita’. We are lucky to be partnering with Missoni, one of the most legendary fashion houses and very close to our values of effortless luxury. We are working here with lots of Italian influencers.
“For Beefeater, we are more digital and sometimes above the line, depending on the size. Monkey 47 is the favourite gin of bartenders.
“These are examples of how we approach different consumers and different lifestyles, and fit in various occasions. There is no spirit more versatile than gin.”
Dessenis says the biggest challenge for Pernod Ricard when it comes to gin is growing in a decelerating market.
“We are still in the top three players in this category, but that is the challenge. We have a role to play – to keep the excellence and quality of gin and to also be creative and try to reinvent what will be the next phase of gin.”
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