HEINEKEN, the firm behind tequila beer Desperados in the UK, has said it expects the spirit beer category to be worth as much as £400 million by 2016.
The company has reported that Desperados is currently worth £77m in the UK, growing at a rate of 82% year-on-year, with the spirt beer (or ‘speer’) category worth around £81m.
Heineken took over the UK distribution of Desperados in 2012 and claims to have secured 8000 additional listings for the brand.
Andrew Turner of Heineken said the growth of the spirit beer segment “responds to consumer demand for new and exciting beer drinking experiences”.
