Distil PLC launches new vodka as coronavirus results in major product shifts

PLC () said its RedLeg rum and Blackwoods gin have sold better than its Blavod black vodka in the past nine months as sales channels shifted.

Revenues increased by 22% in the ler’s third quarter to end-December, 2020, supported by “up-weighted” marketing spending.

For the nine months of its financial year, cumulative sales revenues were up 70%, the AIM-listed company said, with domestic sales growing 60% and exports up 200%.

“Within these results we have seen sizeable shifts in both product mix and source of volume as a consequence of market and trade channel closures, together with changes in consumer behaviour and rituals,” said executive chairman Don Goulding in a statement.

Sales gains in grocery retail and online have largely offset significant declines across both hospitality and travel retail sectors, as reflected in its brand sales mix, with a 25% decline in sales of Blavod due to its volume being weighted towards Duty Free retail.

A new botanical vodka brand, TRØVE, is to be launched next month, “targeting emerging consumer trends towards lower alcohol by volume offerings to suit more balanced lifestyles”.