1. Sustainability
Following the COP 26 Summit in Glasgow in November 2021, sustainability is at the top of the agenda for many whisky producers moving into 2022. The Scotch Whisky industry has set an ambitious target to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, while in September 2021 Diageo opened their first carbon neutral distillery in Kentucky.
2. Premiumization
Consumer demand for premium whiskies will continue into 2022 and beyond as habits shaped during the COVID-19 pandemic linger on. The idea of affordable luxuries and the “treat yourself” mentality will endure, with consumers willing to upgrade their favourite bottle of Scotch to something more decadent.
3. Growing Consumer Awareness
Spending plenty of time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic has also given whisky lovers the opportunity to expand their knowledge and try new things. Consumers are now more educated than ever before.
4. Scandinavian Whiskies
Scandinavian whisky is set to be a big trend in 2022 thanks to pioneering distilleries like Mackmyra which recently partnered with Microsoft to craft a whisky produced using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
5. Whisky Prices Set To Rise
Ongoing supply chain disruption and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will create challenges for producers heading into 2022. These issues are likely to translate into higher prices across most markets.
6. Whisky NFTs
NFTs or “non-fungible tokens” are the latest buzzword in the whisky world. The Dalmore distillery in the Scottish Highlands has debuted their own version, the Decades No. 4 Collection which features four Decades whiskies from the years 1979, 1980, 1995 and 2000. The idea is that Blockbar, a platform for luxury spirits NFTs, will verify ownership and the whisky collection will be kept in storage until the buyer wishes to redeem the NFT for the physical collection. Expect to see more whisky NFTs in 2022 and beyond.
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