What does it mean to be a Liquid Scientist at Diageo?
Amanda Brown, Liquid Scientist, reflects on what it’s like to be involved in launching an innovation in the non-alcoholic space, and the feeling of seeing her creation come to life in customers’ hands.
Tell us more about your current role at Diageo? What’s the most exciting thing about it?
In my current role I am responsible for the liquid innovation of the non-alcoholic space at Diageo. I help to mentor liquid developers working on any new non-alcoholic gin developments, manage our longer-term ingredient research portfolio to allow us to develop no/low alcoholic beverages of the future, and utilising the research to help create great tasting beverages.
No project is ever the same and each face different technical difficulties to get a great tasting product that is true to the brand and its heritage. The learnings we took from Diageo’s first ever non-alcoholic project, Gordon’s 0.0, aided the development of Tanqueray 0.0, and Gordon’s Pink 0.0.
I get a real buzz from the combination of scientific and creative challenge during the development phase, and the pride of seeing the product on the shelves is all the sweeter the harder it was to achieve.
Earlier this year we launched Gordons Pink 0.0% – Tell us more about this product and your involvement in developing it?
Since Seedlip was launched, the demand for non-alcoholic drinks has grown. The launch of Gordon’s 0.0 in 2021 provided a real step change in the market by giving consumers a great tasting product of known quality. Following the explosive success of Gordon’s 0.0 we saw a real need to expand consumer choice with a flavoured Gordon’s. The launch of Pink 0.0 gives consumers the same sweeter, fruitier flavour that the original alcoholic version is known for.
I was the innovation liquid developer responsible for the liquid for Pink 0.0. My role was to develop a great tasting liquid that matched both the taste profile and fulfilled the claims on the Premium Pink label, and also the strict compositional criteria of the non-alcoholic category.
It was a challenging project – needing to deliver the flavour intensity of Premium Pink without the use of alcohol or sugar to help lift the flavours. We learnt a lot, and the result has been a huge success.
What makes you most proud to work on these kinds of projects?
Innovation around our iconic brands keeps them fresh and current for today's changing consumers, giving them a credible choice and a great tasting non-alcoholic option is really important. It's something I would have really valued when I was pregnant with my three children (there’s only so much lime and soda you can drink), so it makes me proud to now be part of these projects and bringing them to life in bars and supermarket shelves.
Any career advice for someone looking to join us?
#J-18808-Ljbffr