Scotland’s drinks brands target South East market through meet-the-buyer event

Scottish drinks producers are hoping to toast to business success at an upcoming meet-the-buyer event in London.

Producers of spirits, beers, ready-to-drink (RTD), no and low-alcohol, and soft drinks are being encouraged to sign-up to Showcasing Scotland Drinks – a speed-dating style deals networking event where they can pitch to buyers in London and the South East.

Organised by Scotland Food & Drink, the event will take place on 6 November 2025 at Scotland House London, and will introduce retail, on-trade, foodservice and wholesale buyers to some of Scotland’s fastest growing drinks brands.

Scotland has a strong reputation for producing spirits. Five Scottish spirits companies make GB’s most valuable 100 brands, reinforcing the importance of provenance within both Scotland and Great Britain, particularly for whisky. Scotch whisky alone accounts for almost £3 of every £4 spent on whisky in the UK (a 73.1% market share)*.

Heritage and expertise in spirits production makes Scotland’s drinks producers well placed to corner the rapidly growing no and low-alcohol market, particularly among younger consumers**.

Collectively, Scottish beer brands are performing well with a strong presence in both the Scottish and GB markets. Scottish brands strongly outperform the market, with double the relative growth of the craft beer market (+12.4% vs +5.1%), underlining their importance to the category***.

Showcasing Scotland Drinks aims to build on that growth within the category by bringing new brands to the market and increasing the prevalence of brands already supplying London and the South East.

Jamie Durkin, UK Strategic Marketing Manager at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Scotland has a well-earned global reputation for making some of the world’s most famous drinks, but we can’t rest on our laurels and expect buyers to come to our brands.

“Showcasing Scotland Drinks is about introducing influential buyers in London and the South East to the vast array of innovative and creative Scottish brands across different categories.

“Scotland’s reputation for quality and provenance in drinks production is a perfect match for the discerning customers of London and the South East, and by bringing suppliers and buyers together, we aim to build commercial relationships for the benefit of both parties.”

Stephanie Pritchard, Head of Customer Relations & Markets at Scotland Food & Drink, added: "Showcasing Scotland Drinks builds on the success of our series of Showcasing Scotland events. Previous major international and national showcases have delivered millions in potential new deals for Scottish suppliers and introduced exciting new products to buyers. For the first time, we're taking a sector focus with Showcasing Scotland Drinks and hope the event is as successful and profitable as previous iterations."

Attendance for Scottish drinks producers is by application only, with applications closing at 5pm on Monday, 25 August 2025.

For further information on Showcasing Scotland Drinks, and to apply, visit: www.showcasingscotland.com/showcasing-scotland-drinks