Innovation fuels Hendrick’s growth

Global Drinks Intel gets an update on William Grant & Son’s flagship gin brand from Ally Martin, Hendrick’s Global Ambassador

Looking back on 2021, what were the highlights for Hendrick’s in terms of sales, events and launches?

The continued growth and strength of our innovation programme has certainly been one of the major highlights of 2021. Hendrick’s Lunar Gin is now available in over 44 markets and is set to deliver over 85k 9LC in 2021, which would make it the #10 Super Premium gin*, despite a challenging period with ongoing Covid restrictions. It is enjoying hugely positive trade and consumer feedback and was recently awarded a Gold medal within the Super Premium Gin category at the Gin Masters. 

It’s not the only release from the Cabinet of Curiosities to be picking up awards, as Hendrick’s Amazonia Gin won “Wine & Spirits Product of the Year” at the Frontier Awards.

Sales from Hendrick’s Amazonia supports reforestation initiatives in the Amazonian Jungle – Lesley’s source of inspiration for this exotic liquid. For every bottle purchased a tree will be planted via our charity partner One Tree Planted. Along with that, despite pandemic restrictions severely impacting passenger numbers globally in what has been one of the toughest years on record for the travel industry, 128,000 bottles of Hendrick’s Amazonia were** sold in 2021 – therefore planting the same number of trees via our donations to One Tree Planted.

And our esteemed Master Distiller, Ms Lesley Gracie, continued to be recognised for her contributions to the gin world. She was inducted into the Gin Magazine Hall of Fame.
All in all it’s been a good period, although certainly a challenging one.


How did the brand perform in the UK? Did stronger off trade sales compensate for the disruption to the on trade?

We had a strong performance in the UK in 2021 and continued to grow despite tough trading conditions. The off trade performance was solid and the on trade is doing well overall after the main COVID disruptions to hospitality.


Looking overseas, what were the standout export markets for Hendrick’s? Which non-traditional gin markets are showing promise?

The USA is by far the biggest export market for Hendrick’s Gin. In Europe, markets such as Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland continue to be important. And, further afield, Australia and Canada are also significant export markets for us.

Examples of non-traditional gin markets that are showing real promise include the likes of Colombia and India.

What new Hendricks products that launched this year would you like to highlight? 

Batch & Bottle Hendrick’s Gin Martini, which we launched in the UK, Australia, Germany, Singapore and Mexico in 2021 and will be expanding to other markets in 2022.

The martini is the quintessential gin cocktail to enjoy in a bar, but too often consumers are a little too scared of recreating it at home as it has all this mystic around it. Batch & Bottle Hendrick’s Gin Martini was designed to bring the bar experience home and elevate home entertaining – which has been on the rise since the pandemic started. Developed during lockdown, Ms Lesley Gracie worked with five top international bars renowned for their martinis (Nauticus from Edinburgh, Brujas from Mexico City, Maybe Sammy from Sydney, Yaldy from Frankfurt and Nutmeg & Clove from Singapore) to develop the perfect expression of a Hendrick’s Gin Martini – each of the bars having left their own unique mark on this martini. This cocktail is an exquisite expression of their perfect Hendrick’s martini.

What CSR and environmental campaigns associated with Hendricks would you mention?

A proportion of sales from each bottle of Batch & Bottle Hendrick’s Gin Martini will be donated to a local bartender charity to help the trade get back on its feet. This changes from region to region but in Australia, where Batch & Bottle launched in November 2021, $1.00 from every bottle for the first 12 months of sales will be donated to the StandFast fund, aiding the bartending community to revitalise and get connected once again.

We have a partnership with One Tree Planted for Hendrick’s Amazonia Gin, which was inspired by the scent of the Amazon. For every bottle of Hendrick’s Amazonia Gin purchased, one tree will be planted in the Amazon rainforest by One Tree Planted, a non-profit organisation that Hendrick’s has partnered with which is committed to supporting the reforestation of the Amazon.

And we have a new environmental campaign that is under wraps until March 2022. We’ve always been committed to reducing our impact on the environment and are working at numerous initiatives to continue to go further.

As the Hendricks Gin palace is relatively new, it was designed with optimal energy efficiency in mind, including insulation, energy efficiency, materials handling, process control and spill containment. All electricity purchased is from sustainable sources (renewables) and the only fossil fuel used is natural gas.

We’re fortunate that the Hendrick’s Gin Palace is part of the bigger Girvan distillery site, which is where we make one of the top three best-selling blended whiskies in the world, Grant’s, which means it benefits from all the investment the company has made into efficient energy systems and effluent treatment. This location not only allows us to benefit from the five generations of whisky making heritage but a whole host of industry leading initiatives that move towards as sustainable an impact as possible on the environment.


What gin cocktail trends should we watch out for in 2022?  

Simplicity and a return to classics will undoubtedly be the greatest trend of the year when it comes to cocktails both at home and in the bar. While the drive for sustainability continues with bartenders looking for more and more creative ways to deliver long-term solutions within cocktails.