It’s enough to make a Scotsman choke on his dram – an alcohol-free ‘Scotch’ brewed in Mexico is to go on sale in the UK.
And, whisper it quietly north of the border, the makers are looking to set up a bottling plant for its ‘Glasgow-style’ tipple in France.
Arkay is a Florida-based company that aims to capitalize on the rising UK demand for alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks. A recent survey found that one third of Brits now prefer to consume them regularly. – up from one in four a year ago.
Arkay founder Reynald Vito Grattagliano said its master mixologist created Scotch flavours by blending ingredients such as caramel, vanilla and oak, and a derivative of capsaicin – found in chilli – that mimics the burn of alcohol.
Arkay, the Florida-based firm, aims to tap into a soaring UK demand for low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks, with a recent survey finding one in three now chooses to drink them on a regular basis
He said: ‘Alcohol gives you the feeling of being relaxed and lowers your stress level.
‘You can mimic what’s happening in your brain by creating a drink that basically shares all the attributes of the drink that you like.
‘This will remind your brain and you of feeling good drinking… but without the alcohol.
‘It’s nice to enjoy a non-alcoholic scotch flavoured drink and not feel the effects of a hangover in the morning.
‘I enjoy the taste of alcohol, but not always the way it makes me feel.’
Arkay would start distribution in the UK by next year according to him. The French bottling facility will be open in the next winter. Portman Group (an industry organization promoting responsible drinking) conducted a survey among UK drinkers. It found that one fifth of them tried low-alcohol, or alcohol-free, drinks to help with their health. The other one fifth did this for socializing without overdoing it.
The Welsh were most likely to be no and low – NoLo – alcohol drinkers, at 36 per cent, with 32 per cent of the English and 29 per cent of Scots.