This year’s London Wine Fair will see spirits placed at the heart of the event, with a dedicated space featuring high end exhibitors and content. “Signature Serve” will focus on premium spirits and mixer brands with the intention of appealing to an audience of top end UK based buyers and distributors across the on and off trade sectors, from the leading cocktail bars to independent retailers and multiple grocers. This investment will see London Wine Fair cement its position as the number one UK drinks exhibition for key decision makers in the industry.
The space – which will be located adjacent to the Mindful Drinking Experience, the Japan Pavilion and Centre Stage – has been capped at no more than 25 exhibitors for its inaugural year, and a number of big names have already signed up, including: Beckford’s Rum; BrewDog Distilling Co.; Brixton Spirits; Cho Spirits; DREAMSAKE; Old Monk Rum; Liana Collection; Mahiki Group; Poetica Distillery; Renais; Sagrado; and Wolfie’s Whisky.
London Wine Fair has appointed two ambassadors for Signature Serve, both of whom bring a wealth of spirits industry knowledge: Millie Milliken, the award-winning drinks and hospitality writer; and Liam Davy, Head of Bars for Hawksmoor Restaurants. They will work alongside Mark Gander - who joined the LWF team as Sales Manager Spirits in November - to deliver thought-provoking, directional spirits content. Gander has almost 10 years’ experience in the drinks industry and was previously at Imbibe Live and Craft Gin Club.
The decision to fully commit to spirits this year is down to the dynamics of the visitor audience, the changing landscape of the UK market, and a gap in the market for an industry event that connects spirit brands to serious buyers. More than 2,000 decision makers working in spirits are already attending The Fair, as crossover between wine and spirits buying roles increases year on year. Whilst these buyers use The Fair as an essential part of their wine-buying remit, they are currently under-serviced when it comes to spirits exhibitors. 41% of the 2024 on-trade visitors were spirits buyers, covering premises such as: Caprice Holdings; Harrods; 28-50 Restaurant Group; Cliveden House; and Rare Restaurants. From the off-trade 26% of the visitors were responsible for buying spirits, covering retailers such as Harrods; Waitrose; The Whiskey Exchange; Majestic; Tesco; Loki Wines; and The Co-op.
Fifty VIPs, comprising the UKs top spirits buyers and media, will be invited to attend an “after hours” event on the opening night, at which exhibitors will prepare their own “signature serve” cocktails for sampling exclusively to this audience. The serves will reflect the cutting-edge trends of 2025 and act as a barometer for the spirits industry for both the on and off trade sectors.
Hannah Tovey, Head of London Wine Fair comments: “We wanted to bring spirits back to The Fair in a really meaningful way and the decision to do this for 2025 is based on feedback from our visitor audience as well as existing and potential exhibitors. The demand for spirits to be a significant part of the show is there, and we are dedicated to delivering a carefully curated very premium space with high end content to meet the expectations of the UK’s key decision makers. Signature Serve will ensure London Wine Fair is absolutely unmissable for serious spirits buyers from the UK and beyond and will bring an additional sense of theatre to next year’s show.”
The 2025 London Wine Fair will take place at Olympia from 19th to 21st May.
