Poll Call: Do You Shop Specialist or Generalist?

➕ 🛒 6 online AF retailers for you to explore & Why you might need to stock up on Guinness 0.0

Dec 17, 2025

Hi hi,

🧐 This Week’s Poll Call

Walking into the ‘blue zone’ of your local Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons or wherever, and you see the same old same old everywhere you look; meanwhile, there are enthusiasts like me going gaga about all the wonderful drinks we’ve been tasting, and it’s leaving you wondering if:

a) I’ve got weird taste buds that make average drinks taste like liquid gold
b) I’ve got some secret supply that you’ll never be able to get your hands on, or
c) I’m just making this shiz up

Well, to be totally honest:

a) Nope, I’m pretty average in the taste bud department - except for tonic and grapefruit, I hate those
b) To be fair, I do get sent A LOT of samples to try, but only of drinks that producers are already trying to sell, so they’re out there for all to try, and
c) In the words of music lyricist geniuses Charles & Eddie, “Would I lie to you baby… oh yeah” (10 points if you remember that early 90s hit)

But seriously, no, I’m not pulling your leg, honest Guv!

Just a small selection of some of the amazing low, no and light drinks available to everyone today

Discovering amazing low, no, and light drinks you can call your new favourite is often one of the most challenging parts of drinking differently.

Largely because most people don’t know where to look. So this week I want to know where you’re searching, online or IRL, to find the drinks that make a difference to your life.

And once you’ve voted, I’ll also share a few retailers for you to check out and expand your range.

So first off…

🛒 Where To Shop Low, No & Light

Wise Bartender - wisebartender.co.uk*
This is one of the most well-known online retailers and the one I recommend the most, as you can use my discount code (LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE) to get 10% off, and who doesn’t love a bargain?
Plus, it’s an affiliate link, so when you do use it, you support my work here as well. Cheers.
Dry Drinker - drydrinker.com
Another widely used e-commerce store, Dry Drinker, has a great selection of mixed cases so you can try a few different drinks in one order.
MidStrengthDrinks - midstrengthdrinks.com
Launched by the same team behind Wise Bartender, MidStrengthDrinks is, as far as I’m aware, the first online retailer dedicated to light and mid-strength drinks. I love this as a route to exploring the possibilities of drinking less on your own terms, and I’m hoping to get them on the podcast for you soon.
Club Soda - joinclubsoda.com
Arguably, the community that started a movement, Club Soda, is an online shop, a bar (in London’s Covent Garden), a tasting/training room, and the host of summits and other trade events, as well as a government lobbying group for change in alcohol-free drinks legislation.
Functional Drinks Club - functionaldrinksclub.co.uk
Can you guess what they sell? Think adaptogenic and nootropic ingredients galore! Specialising in things like Kombuchas and Kefirs, you can also find other non-alcoholic drinks available to buy, as well as fermented foods.
You can visit the taproom in person in Otley, Leeds
Siprano - siprano.co.uk
Siprano focuses only on AF wines. If you’re looking for something better than the usual supermarket mediocrity, Siprano offers sommelier-approved, premium wines that you can shop at your own discretion or subscribe to their monthly curated box.

📰 Low, No & Light News

Budweiser Dealcoholises the UK. The brewing giant has opened a UK first with a new £2.93m dealcoholisation facility in Monmouthshire, South Wales.
The facility, and Budweiser itself, are owned by drinks megalith AB InBev. They have 29 AF beers in their portfolio, including Stella Artois 0.0 & Corona Cero, which will now be brewed in the UK for the first time.

What does this mean in real terms for us? Hopefully, more choice, more quantity and perhaps lower prices… We’ll have to wait and see.

Guinness Again! I know we spoke about them last week with the new creation by the Palmeston pub of Guinness 60/40, but today’s news is more of a word of caution because if you’re a fan of the black stuff, you might want to start stocking up.

Workers at the Belfast canning factory are in the middle of an eight day strike over pay. And it’s the very same factory that cans Guinness 0.0.

Parent company Diageo has assured consumers that there will not be a shortage this Christmas, but, well, what else would you expect them to say?

Strikers are urging drinkers to spend their stout pennies elsewhere in solidarity for their strike action, so I guess the choice now is do you stock up and make sure you’ve got enough of the hugely popular drink for you and your guests, or do you stand in solidarity with minimum pay workers and step away from the blackness until the issue is resolved???

Lyre’s Goes Pink. Leading alcohol-free drinks brand, Lyre’s, have launched another new drink this December, taking them one step further away from being a dedicated non-alc spirits brand, and one step closer to being the ultimate all-rounder.

Lyre’s Classico Rosé is a deep party pink colour with lots of strawberry and a little cherry on the nose. It was surprisingly dry, which makes a welcome change from overly sweet AF bubbles that replace flavour with sugar.

Hubby & I enjoyed a bottle with a cheeky Christmas cheese plate, and it was a very good pairing.

I spoke to Anita Osborne, Sales & Marketing Manager for the brand, on the podcast a few months ago about everything from non-alc absinthe to pirates hijacking their shipments. Check it out, ep#98. Lyre’s: The Honest Truth
Listen on Apple / Listen on Spotify
Try it from Amazon*

🏆 On the Podcast

The December dailies are still going. Last week I covered topics like ‘How To Handle Those “Just Have One” Moments’, & ‘Moderation Techniques for December’.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, you can find it on Apple here:

And listen on Spotify here:

🍷 I’ve Been Drinking

Eisberg Sparkling. This is a very lively fizz for the Christmas season. The bubbles are relatively small, but there’s a lot of activity happening after each sip. Super light on the nose, it’s sour in the cheeks, mildly sweet on the tongue and dry on the finish. Lots of crisp green apple and those grapes so big and firm they’re almost like a hand fruit.
Try it from wisebartender.com & get 10% off with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE*

Drink In The Sun. And something a bit different. This is a lovely little Wheat Beer from quirky Danish brand Mikkeler. It's not as ‘wheaty’ as others I’ve tasted, but you might prefer a lighter touch. It’s crisp, citussy and would go well with food.
Plus, the can brings a little sunshine to an otherwise dull day - so that’s a win!
Try it from wisebartender.com & get 10% off with code LOWNODRINKERMAGAZINE*

🏆 Last Week’s Results

We had a double hitter last week when I asked you both ‘Which drink category has impressed you MOST in 2025?’, and ‘Which category still needs the most work?‘.

I’ve got to say, while one result didn’t surprise me in the least, the other was certainly an eye opener.

We’ll start with the obvious one. You said by an overwhelming majority of 93% that still wines is the area that needs the most work.

I know you’re still trying to find wine-time drinks that you can love as much as your old favourites, so this result was to be expected.

I’ll keep my ear to the ground for you on what’s happening in low, no and light wines.

But then, in the area that has impressed you the most, I was expecting you to say Beer, or maybe RTDs, but I was wrong. You are loving the functional drinks, with 35% of you saying they’ve done the best job in 2025.

Just goes to show why I love doing these polls and learning more about what you want from your new drinking experiences.

And, I’ve got to agree, there are some very exciting things happening in functionals at the moment, so I’m excited to see what the category brings for 2026!