How Luxury Spirits Retail Design Can Adapt to New Audience Behaviours.
If Courvoisier’s psychedelic birdcage pavilion at Selfridges proved anything, it’s that luxury shoppers are craving escapism like never before. A stroll through the aisles of premium department store liquor floors confirms it. Premiumisation is no longer built on heritage, opulence or provenance, because these do not align with how audiences behave now.
Not everyone is on board. Some cling to mahogany panelling, gilt platforms and chandeliers. These echo churches, galleries and museums – spaces designed for silent study, not interaction. But this elitist design language risks irrelevance as cultural value shifts from reverence to relatability. A wave of brands is breaking ranks, calling to next-gen drinkers who crave participation over passivity, personality over polish, and places made to include, not exclude.
What does this new audience want?
For Gen Z, ‘taste’ leads purchase decisions in the category (62% agree). Expert recommendations barely register (Deloitte). They’re not seeking guidance or connoisseurship. They don’t know what a whiskey ‘Angel’s Share’ is, and they don’t care to learn. When picking up their ‘natty wines’, terroir ranks far below mood, moment and aesthetic. We’ve seen this with Chin Chin. For this audience, taste is no longer something handed down by experts, but something uncovered through experience. It’s decoded through detail. Funky or gilt packaging, a funny name, striking colour palette, having a truly distinctive brand personality.
This is an information-fatigued generation. They’re curious, but want to feel before they learn. They favour relevance over legacy. With nearly 1 in 5 Gen Zs teetotal, and 57% Millennials cutting back on alcohol intake, drinking isn’t the centrepiece of socialising. It’s a tool for setting the mood, expressing identity and forging deeper connections. They are experience-led, emotionally fluent and culturally switched on. They choose their bottles to signal all this quietly.
And this is where the category still stumbles in brick and mortar retail. Many still speak the language of heritage: age statements, provenance, artisanal process. These no longer resonate. The mindset has shifted. Strategy must follow. The goal now is not to educate or persuade, but to create encounters that invite, inspire and allow the product to be felt, not just understood.
So, how can luxury brands speak to the new drinker in retail?
Opportunity One: Be a Sensory Playground
As Gen Z ditches prestige for experience, brands must reimagine the off-trade space as one of discovery. This means using tactile materials, dynamic lighting, varied textures, soundscapes and scent at all scales, whether in a 4-shelf liquor bay at an airport or a Selfridges pop-up
Opportunity Two: Tell Stories They Can Feel
Craftsmanship still matters, but not through dry tasting notes. Gen Z wants quality without the sermon. Think visual cues, maker stories, transparent sourcing, and fascinating textures. Don’t lecture. Tempt. Let them uncover meaning themselves. This sensory storytelling doesn’t have stop at the shelf – blending physical and digital through scan-to-unlock content, AR labels or dynamic merchandising triggered by time-of-day can all make the moment richer, and inspire consideration and purchase.
Opportunity Three: Flex Iconicity with a Wink
In a visual-first world, recognisability isn’t enough. Brands must be memorable. That means bold shapes, unexpected colours and playful spins on tradition. We’re seeing this in standout in-store activations and spatial storytelling that remix heritage with humour. It’s not about ditching luxury’s past. It’s about reviving it with irreverence and fun.
Where old luxury spirits embodied restraint, the new world is all about release. Today’s consumers buy based on how something makes them feel. Prestige alone no longer cuts it. Retail, once the most conservative corner of the spirits world, now has the power to become its most expressive. The brands that thrive will be those brave enough to loosen tradition’s grip and tighten their emotional connection to next-gen socialisers.