An Edinburgh-based spirits bottling and brands business is seeing its diversification into the multi-million pound ‘ready to drink’ market take a significant step forward, thanks to leading Scottish convenience retailer, Scotmid.
Young Spirits, founded in 2019 by John Ferguson and Alex Harrison, has undergone a major programme of growth in the last five years. From its humble beginnings as a two-person operation in a garage, providing specialist bottling services for small batch spirits producers, the company now employs a 40+-strong team and has expanded its remit, developing its own portfolio of products and tapping into the growing trend for convenience drinks.
It’s most recent endeavour, Nips & Sips, a range of innovative, single-serve vodka pouches, saw off stiff competition from other, more established brands, to win an exclusive listing with convenience retailer, Scotmid, across its estate of more than 175 stores.
The listing is set to significantly boost both sales and brand visibility, helping to place Nips & Sips firmly on the map in the competitive market.
The idea for Nips & Sips came from Young Spirits co-founders John and Alex, who spotted a gap in the market for an innovative, ready-to-drink spirits serve that was more convenient than the traditional bottle or can format. Early prototypes of the flavours and novel pouch packaging were a hit with friends, as the perfect serve for fun, on-the-go moments – from music festivals to beach parties. The concept was fast-tracked through Young Spirits’ internal Dragons’ Den-style innovation process, where it quickly gained momentum and approval.
The Scottish Favourites competition has proven to be a vital platform for emerging brands, and for Young Spirits, it has played a pivotal role in bringing Nips & Sips to a wider audience. After passing through two rounds of rigorous rounds of assessment and testing, Nips & Sips is now poised for retail success.
John Ferguson, co-founder of Young Spirits, said:
“Young Spirits was founded as a modern, sustainable partner to companies in the spirits sector, offering next level support for a wide range of new product development and bottling projects. Alongside that, we are using our expertise to develop our own portfolio of spirits brands, to bring innovation and great products to today’s consumers. Nips & Sips is a perfect example. It’s a fun, original concept that delivers something new for RTD drinkers – and thanks to Scotmid, it’s now available in stores across Scotland.”
Steven Addison, Local Sourcing Manager at Scotmid added:
“Nips & Sips stood out in our Scottish Favourites competition for its fun approach to convenience and innovation. The competition is all about championing Scotland’s most exciting or up-and-coming food and drink brands, helping them take the next critical step in their journey. We’re always looking to support emerging Scottish businesses, and Young Spirits is a fantastic example of a company using its industry knowledge to create something fresh and exciting for the market. Seeing Nips & Sips go from concept to shelves is exactly what Scottish Favourites is designed to achieve.”
Young Spirits also takes a sustainable approach to its operations and is proud to have established a carbon neutral bottling site as well as ensuring the pouches of Nips & Sips are fully recyclable.
With a successful retail debut secured, Young Spirits has ambitious plans for the future, including expanding the Nips & Sips range with new flavours and continuing to grow its portfolio of owned brands.
