The Spirits Changing the Rules

So we've got a lovely selection

of people today for our expert panel on summer drinks.

So should we just kind of dive right in? Yeah.

It's been an interesting last... 20 years, hasn't it? Spirits have really evolved.

Can you tell me a little bit about how they've changed over the

years? So spirits, in particular, I think it goes through sort of phases really, isn't it? Of like Jean being very popular and then Ron has its moment.

But I think at the moment, obviously, there's a lot of low and no influence at this stage too.

Yeah, it's kind of just they're really becoming more crafted, I think, and sort of people are really caring about the quality of the drinks.

Yeah, we've seen that, haven't we? Yeah, there's definitely, I think it's drinking less but better quality, isn't it? And picking out those kind of premium brands that have stories to tell and...

Yeah, yeah, it feels really...

Like, people want authenticity, don't they? Especially since the massive gin boom.

That's been a really fascinating thing, hasn't it? Where gin's gone from just London dry gin that everybody knew, Gordon's gin, whatever, to now there are hundreds and hundreds, almost too many, and then the bottom kind of fell out of it a little bit.

Yes.

But there are still a huge...

There's still more gin than anything else, isn't

there? Yeah, I think there is, really.

The rums are coming up to the same sort of level, I think, but...

Yeah, in terms of quantity.

Yes, there's so many.

I think it's just probably easier to produce in some ways because you haven't got to go through that aging process.

So I suppose if you want to get a gin out there a bit quicker or spirits out there a bit quicker.

Yeah, so unlike whiskey that needs to sit in barrels or something like that.

Yeah, that makes sense.

But I mean, I love gin.

Whenever anyone says the bottom fell out, I get really cross because I'm like, I love gin.