Matthew Clark has become the latest booze merchant to ramp up its craft offering with a raft of new beer and cider lines.
The wholesaler has added 102 new brews to its Boutique Beers range, bringing the total number available to 270.
New additions include eight beers from South Wales’ Tiny Rebel brewery, as well as lines from the likes of Crazy Mountain, AB InBev-owned Goose Island, North Brewing Co and Two Tribes.
It added 30 new ciders to its cider portfolio, which it has renamed ‘Cider House’ from its previous ‘Perfectly Picked’ moniker. The new name was “more reflective of the diverse portfolio of premium products” it offered, said its beer, cider and soft drinks category manager Justin Wylde.
The news follows major range revamps from the mults, which have skewed their ranges in favour of trendier, more premium lines.
Indeed, Matthew Clark’s update was designed to “meet the changing demands of the sector,” said Wylde.
The expanded cider range features a selection of ‘hopped’ ciders, which Wylde said would “bridge the gap between craft beer and cider”. New lines include St Louis Dry Hopped by Sandford Orchards and Schlafly Brewery and Zeffer from Instill.
Point Beer’s brand Ciderboys, Orchard Pig and Thistly Cross also picked up listings alongside bigger brands Thatchers and Westons.
UK cider sales grew 1.1% to £748.6m over the past year, on volumes down 0.3% [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 26 March 2017].
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