Top marketing moves from January 2026
From celebrity ambassadors to pink diamond rings, here’s how spirits brands started 2026 with the year’s first set of marketing moves.
January a month of hibernation? Slow? Quiet? Not for the world of spirits… as brands got out of the 2026 gates quickly with some very interesting marketing tactics.
One of the world’s top selling gins enlisted the services of a Sex and the City star to act as global brand ambassador, while a big-name Tequila brand took on the Grammy Awards and a circular-shaped RTD brand combined potential Valentine’s Day proposals with the launch of a new flavour.
Read on to find out the best marketing initiatives from January.
To see how spirits brands closed out 2025, see our marketing roundup from December.
SJP to act as Tanqueray global brand ambassador
Diageo-owned Tanqueray Gin announced Sarah Jessica Parker as its new global brand ambassador.
The Sex and the City actor is said to embody Tanqueray’s ethos of ‘never compromising’. She stars in a film for the campaign, titled ‘There’s an N and an O in every icon’, featuring the brand’s Tanqueray’s Dirty Martini and Tanqueray Gin & Tonic. She is seen reflecting at the ‘no’s’ that have shaped her career, which also mirror how Tanqueray has shaped the recipe for its own London Dry gin.
Patricia Borges, global gins and rums director at Diageo, said: “With her fearless refusal to compromise, Sarah Jessica Parker was the perfect choice as our inaugural cultural voice for this movement and to launch ‘There’s an N and an O in every icon’.”
Nemiroff lands in NZ
Ukrainian vodka brand Nemiroff launched in New Zealand, where its flagship De Luxe expression is now available.
The brand partnered with distributor Hancocks to secure listings with six retail chains in the country: Liquorland, Super Liquor, The BottleO, Liquor Centre, Thirsty Liquor, and Big Barrel.
Yuriy Sorochynskiy, CEO at Nemiroff, said: “Partnering with Hancocks is an important step in growing our presence in Asia Pacific. New Zealand is a sophisticated spirits market, and we see a clear opportunity for a premium, quality-driven vodka like Nemiroff De Luxe.”
Joe Jakicevich, owner and managing director at Hancocks, added: “We take pride in curating and delivering some of the finest local and international beverage brands to New Zealand, and we are proud to add Nemiroff to our world-class spirits portfolio.”
No.3 balances Dry Jan with Martinis
To counter the impact of Dry January on the hospitality industry, Berry Bros & Rudd-owned No.3 Gin brought back its Dry Martini January initiative last month.
The 2026 edition of the concept, which ran through the month, encouraged bars to spotlight the Dry Martini using No.3 Gin, with participating venues featuring a dedicated Dry Martini January menu insert. Alicia Stark, global brand ambassador for No.3 London Dry Gin, said: “Dry Martini January is a nod to those focusing on this balance, in other words, drinking less but drinking better, as well as being our way to help give back and support a fantastic industry in a quiet and more uncertain time.”
More than 65 bars in the UK took part, spanning London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff, and Bristol. For every bottle of No.3 Gin sold by bars as part of the activation, £1 was donated to Hospitality Action.
Martell details packaging step
Pernod Ricard-owned Cognac house Martell will introduce an ultra-lightweight bottle made entirely from the same glass used in smartphone production.
The initiative has been developed in partnership with manufacturing and technology expert Vitalink Technology, to bring high-precision and futuristic packaging to luxury spirits.
Xu Ren, vice-president at Vitalink Technology, noted: “Bringing cutting-edge precision engineering and material science to a tradition- led métier, we call the new process ‘glass origami’ – folding and lasering advanced flat glass as thin as 0.7mm to create an ultra-lightweight, almost surreal bottle.”
Sebastien Borda, Martell’s global marketing director, said the move “demonstrates Martell’s commitment to challenging the status quo”.
Cygnet Gin bags Golden Globes spot
Welsh brand Cygnet Gin, co-founded by classical singer Katherine Jenkins OBE, was part of the gift bag for winners and presenters at this year’s Golden Globes film and TV awards ceremony.
The 83rd edition of the Golden Globes took place in January. The goody bag was valued at just under US$1 million, with Cygnet’s offer containing a duo of its gins, as well as a pair of Martini and rocks glasses by renowned bartender Erik Lorincz. The gins, Cygnet 22 and Cygnet 77 are both made with Manuka honey. Cygnet 77 has been aged for more than 12 months in Welsh whisky barrels. The set was valued at US$500.
Also from the spirits side in the bag was a six-bottle case of The Hearach whisky from a cask (which yields 221 750ml bottles) from the Isle of Harris Distillery in Scotland.
Magnum slides into curling with Team GB partnership
Scotch whisky liqueur Magnum threw its support behind Team GB’s men’s curlers at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, Italy.
Ahead of the games, which kicked off on 6 February in Italy, the brand released a set of special bottles adorned with the faces of the team’s four curlers: skipper Bruce Mouat, Hammy McMillan, Grant Hardie, and Bobby Lammie. Team GB’s men’s curling team has also signed a sponsorship deal with Magnum for 2026 and will serve as official brand ambassadors through the year.
Magnum director Lee Schofield said: “We’re so proud to be supporting the Team GB men’s curling team at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy and cheering them on with their very own limited edition bottle of Magnum.”
The bottles are available from Royal Mile Whiskies for £20 (US$27) per 500ml bottle.
Patrón sounds right as the Tequila of the Grammys
Bacardi-owned Patrón teamed up with the Recording Academy as the official Tequila partner of the 68th Grammy Awards, which took place on 1 February.
For its part in US music’s biggest night, Patrón introduced a series of elevated experiences that saw a 360-degree Patrón bar featured at Grammy House and the brand being poured at various official Recording Academy events. Patrón also collaborated with Daniel Gonzalez, of Licorería Limantour in Mexico City, to craft the award’s official cocktail – The Golden Record.
DJ Hageman, vice-president of US, Patrón, said: “The Grammy Awards represent the most exciting night in music.”
Talis owner scores 89.3 B Corp certification
Harv 81 Group, a US-based closure-solutions company, secured B Corp certification with a score of 89.3 points.
The recognition applies to all subsidiaries of Harv 81 Group – Talis, Cork Supply, Tonnellerie Ô, Creative Oak, and Legnokaps – which include specialised activities in cork closures, spirits closures, wooden capsules, oak barrels, and alternatives. The company was established in California in 1981, and B Corp status marks a milestone in the company’s ongoing sustainability journey.
In regard to Talis, which is Harv 81’s brand focused on spirits closures, B Corp is said to further emphasise its role as a serious, long-term partner for spirits producers worldwide.
Sir Edmond unpacks new G&T sets
Dutch brand Sir Edmond launched two premium gift boxes for consumers to craft the perfect Gin & Tonic from home.
The brand, which produces a flagship Bourbon vanilla-infused gin, noted giving as the ‘new luxury’. The sets include Premium, which contains a bottle of Sir Edmond Gin and two branded copa glasses, and Luxury, which provides additional serving elements such as premium tonics and bar tools.
Lotte Dekker, commercial manager at Sir Edmond Gin, said: “At Sir Edmond Gin, we view gifting as an extension of hospitality. Our gift boxes are designed to support shared moments – whether that means opening a bottle together, preparing a drink, or simply celebrating an occasion with care.”
Seedlip spreads Dry Jan message
Diageo-owned non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ Seedlip launched the latest part of its ‘Yeah, It’s a Drink’ campaign with the help of The Real Housewives of New York City star Dorinda Medley.
The campaign looked to encourage drinkers to indulge in nonalcoholic cocktails over Dry January. David Crooch, general manager of non-alcoholic beverages at Diageo, said: “The ‘Yeah, It’s a Drink’ campaign and new Dry January programming are reminders that Seedlip stands on its own, not just a substitute.”
The campaign featured an advert set in Medley’s Bluestone Manor, where she showed how Dry January doesn’t mean missing out on fun while enjoying alcohol-free options.
BuzzBallz puts a ring on it
Ready-to-drink brand BuzzBallz auctioned a nine-carat pink diamond ring for Valentine’s Day, and also released a new flavour.
The ring featured a lab-grown pink diamond and a custom, ‘bedazzled’ mini BuzzBallz mould modelled after the brand’s packaging. Valued at US$35,000, bids began at US$2.14, with bidding closing on 10 February, and the winner receiving the ring and matching box by 13 February, in time to ask their beloved to marry them on Valentine’s Day. Proceeds benefitted a ‘heart-related’ charitable cause.
Jess Scheerhorn, vice-president of the brand’s parent company, Sazerac, said: “Every main squeeze deserves the best and, at BuzzBallz, ‘the best’ means going bigger and brighter than anyone asked for.”
The ring was launched with BuzzBallz’s new Pink Lemon-squeezy flavour (15% ABV), which is inspired by pink lemonade.
Rod Stewart sings a different tune to Dry Jan
Sir Rod Stewart’s Wolfie’s whisky launched an ‘anti-Dry January’ campaign that embraced “choice, balance, and not taking life too seriously”.
At the heart of the creative was a visual that previously received a complaint to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, which the brand said resulted in a fine for “pushing too far against conventional norms in alcohol advertising”. Instead, Wolfie’s brought the visual, featuring the words ‘F*ck Dry January’, to the streets of Amsterdam, where the campaign was rolled out on out-of-home sites.
Duncan Frew, who co-founded Wolfie’s with Stewart in 2023, said: “This campaign is about choice, balance, and not taking life (or whisky) too seriously. To remind everyone that you are allowed to let your hair down, even if it’s January.”
Flor de Caña teases new design
Nicaraguan rum Flor de Caña previewed a new brand identity as part of its newly formed distribution partnership in Italy with Fratelli Branca Distillerie.
The collaboration with Fratelli Branca brings Flor de Caña’s full range of sustainably crafted premium rums to the Italian market. As part of the partnership, the brand has given a sneak peek of its refreshed design, with further details to be revealed in the coming months. The companies have sustainability as a core value and share a philosophy of “innovating while preserving tradition”.
Their shared values and heritage are expected to help the Nicaraguan rum strengthen its strategic distribution, enhance its brand positioning and establish long-lasting partnerships in Italy.
Neurita Tequila taps Marussia for UK distribution
Female-founded Tequila brand Neurita has appointed Marussia Beverages as its official distributor in the UK.
Marussia Beverages will enhance Neurita’s distribution in the UK, boost visibility and support longterm brand development in the on- and off-trade channels. Lucy Smith, founder of Neurita Tequila, said: “We believe Marussia Beverages is the perfect partner to grow Neurita into a staple brand across UK bars and retailers. Its track record of building brands with integrity is clearly demonstrated through its current portfolio and UK listings.
“Beyond this, Marussia is a strong cultural fit for Neurita, sharing our values and long- term vision.”
CleanCo and Lovehoney address the impact of alcohol on dating
Non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ producer CleanCo partnered with sexual awareness brand Lovehoney to promote moderation and sober sex in its ‘Anything but Dry’ January campaign last month.
The two brands pushed the message that moderating alcohol doesn’t mean “a mundane month”, while also seeking to highlight the “drink divide” in romantic relationships after research revealed the impact alcohol has on the sex lives of UK adults.
At London venue Bluebird Chelsea, CleanCo created an ‘Anything But Dry’ clean cocktail menu.
Related news
Cask Liquid Marketing plans fifth spirits showcase
