The Future in the Glass: the spirits business Names the Top Innovators Redefining Spirits and What It Means for 2026

From pizza-distilled vodka to crystal-clear Scotch whisky, cannabis spirits to high-ester rum concentrates, this year’s ranking reflects an industry in full creative acceleration, a world where experimentation is no longer fringe, but fast becoming the new mainstream.


the spirits business, the leading global drinks media, has revealed its final top 10 in the Top 50 Innovative Spirits Launches of 2025, spotlighting the brands that pushed boundaries and offered a clear signal of where the global spirits market is heading next.

Collectively, these 10 liquids represent a shift away from incremental line extensions towards genuine technical, sensory and cultural innovation – a trend that will shape brand strategy, portfolio development and consumer expectations well into 2026.

The Top 10 Shortlist

#1: Chivas Regal Crystalgold - A crystal-clear Scottish spirit drink created through bespoke filtration that removes colour without stripping flavour. Designed for long serves, crossover occasions and daytime drinking, the number-one product opens up whisky to new consumption moments.

#2: Three Families (Mr Lyan x Rockland x Dilmah Tea) – A range of cocktail seasonings blending bitters tradition with modern distillation and tea extracts. Designed to empower experimentation behind the bar and at home, turning flavour into a modular tool.

#3: Never Never Signature Vodka – A texture-driven vodka enriched with olive, coconut and avocado oils to deliver mouthfeel as a primary differentiator. Built for premium Martinis and neat sipping.

#4 Planteray Hogo Monsta – An ultra high-ester rum designed as a flavour amplifier rather than a sipping spirit. A technical release that celebrates intensity, funk and bartender creativity.

#5 Realizzato Coffee Liqueur – A sustainability-led innovation using upcycled coffee grounds to create alcohol, paired with fully recycled packaging. Circular production meets premium flavour.

#6 Archie Rose Wattleseed Smoked Cask Whisky -– An Australian single malt smoked via native wattleseed-treated barrels, creating uniquely regional flavour architecture.

#7 1906 Cannabis Spirit – A neutral, alcohol-free THC and CBG ‘spirit’ engineered for social drinking occasions beyond alcohol.

#8 Bruichladdich X4+18 Edition 01 – The world’s first quadruple-distilled 18-year-old single malt Scotch, pushing cost, yield and process boundaries.

#9 Aureus Vita Gin – Produced on a Fibonacci-inspired still that applies mathematical ratios to botanical interaction and distillation geometry.
#10 Isco Pizza Vodka – A vodka distilled from a full organic pizza – herbs, tomato, cheese and wheat – proving novelty flavour can deliver commercial scale when executed seriously.

Melita Kiely, editor-in-chief of The spirits business, said: “Our top 50 ranking explored the most creative products that came to market in 2025, from production techniques to unusual flavours, and even products reaching new heights with their purpose and marketing initiatives.

What’s clear to see is producers are not afraid to explore new flavour dimensions – and for many, their efforts are paying off. Our top pick, Chivas Regal Crystalgold, was especially exciting to see. This spirit has the potential to open the Scotch whisky category up to new drinkers, particularly loyal fans of white spirits, and it’s great to see a brand like Chivas boldly step forward to deliver something truly different and distinct.”

Here are wider predictions for the drinks world, using these spirits as future forecasters…

Experimental Flavour Goes Mass – From Isco Pizza Vodka scaling nationally to Planteray’s Hogo Monsta turning extreme ester levels into a creative asset, and Three Families reframing flavour as modular cocktail seasoning, consumers are signalling a growing appetite for the unfamiliar. Unconventional profiles are no longer niche – they’re becoming a point of discovery and engagement. By 2026, expect more savoury spirits, fermentation-led flavours and culinary crossovers entering mainstream retail and bar menus. For the trade, education, sampling and discovery-led menus will become essential tools for conversion.

Technical Craft Becomes the New Premium Language – Innovation is moving inside the liquid. Aureus Vita’s Fibonacci-driven still design, Bruichladdich X4+18’s costly quadruple distillation and Archie Rose’s wattleseed-smoked casks demonstrate how engineering and process mastery are replacing heritage alone as premium signals. By 2026, more brands will foreground proprietary techniques, experimental maturation and production IP as differentiators. The trade’s challenge will be translating complex technical stories into clear, compelling selling narratives.

Occasion Engineering Redefines Categories – Spirits are increasingly designed around usage rather than category. Chivas Regal Crystalgold unlocks daytime and long-serve whisky occasions, Never Never Signature Vodka engineers texture for Martini culture, and 1906 reframes social drinking beyond alcohol. By 2026, crossover formats, lighter serves and multifunctional bottles will continue to blur traditional boundaries. Menu design and merchandising will shift toward use-case and occasion rather than spirit type.

Sustainability Moves Into Product Architecture – Sustainability is becoming structural, not symbolic. Realizzato Coffee Liqueur’s upcycled production model shows how environmental thinking can drive genuine product innovation. By 2026, circularity, material efficiency and carbon impact will increasingly influence listings, investment and portfolio strategy. For the trade, sustainability credentials will move from marketing claims into procurement and long-term brand evaluation.

The 2025 Most Innovative Spirits list confirms that the spirits industry has entered a new creative cycle, one defined by technical ambition, flavour bravery, occasion fluency and sustainable engineering. For producers, distributors, retailers and bartenders alike, the message is clear: the future of growth lies not in playing it safe, but in building liquids that challenge assumptions, create conversation and expand what spirits can be.

As these innovators demonstrate, experimentation is no longer a risk.

Ends

For PR information, images or sample requests please contact Alex Holbrook on alex@pitchandpourpr.com

About The Spirits Business
Founded in 2007, The Spirits Business is the only dedicated international spirits trade magazine and website in the world. Our circulation reaches out to more than 50,000 spirits professionals worldwide, from the most senior drinks buyers in the on- and off-trade, through to the best known and most influential bartenders at the world’s hottest venues.