The Future Of Alcohol Might Be No Alcohol | Claire Warner

Claire Warner helped build Belvedere Vodka for 15 years.

She created 13 expressions. She climbed the ranks inside LVMH. She understood how premium alcohol brands scale.

Then she made a call most people would avoid.

She decided the world did not need another vodka.

In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Claire explains why she left a secure leadership position to build Æcorn Drinks, how a forgotten 16th century acorn wine recipe became the foundation of a modern aperitif, and why launching three complex products at once was a risk worth taking.

We also unpack what it means to build your own identity as the sister brand to Seedlip, how Covid disrupted their first real summer, and why innovation in this space has to be flavour-led, not alcohol-led.

This is not about sobriety. It is about redefining the ritual.

Key Takeaways

• Why experience in a category can become a reason to leave it

• The strategic risk of launching multiple SKUs at once

• How to build brand distinction when linked to a market pioneer

• Why aperitif culture matters more than alcohol percentage

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