Copyright birminghammail
Drinking habits are changing in the UK, and alcohol makers are adapting to the tastes of Gen Z. Henry Westons is one of them, as the brand dropped a traditional name for one of their drinks and lowered the alcohol by volume (ABV) of the pint. Their Henry Westons Perry decided to axe the word 'Perry' due to it falling out of favour. Read more: UK households face paying just £84 for TV license under one condition Darryl Hinksman, Westons' head of business development, was asked if he things the word is dead, to which he responded: “Yes. People didn’t know what perry meant. “We were constantly having to explain that perry is a cider-type drink made from perry pears, but that you can actually make perry from any pears.” However, perry producers have taken umbrage at this, with James Forbes at Little Pomona Cider & Perry, saying: "Given that the Westons factory is overlooked by perry pear trees, so old they predate its existence, Mr Hinksman’s views are particularly crass. “Worse than that, such public statements from influential figures are damaging, undermining the amazing work done to promote the drink over the last few years, by organisations like the TCCPA, CAMRA and the Museum of Cider, publications such as Cider Review, and thousands of perry makers in the UK and beyond. “Perry may be dead in the eyes of Westons but they couldn’t be more wrong.” It's not the only change Westons has made, as the cider maker also dropped the pear cider’s ABV from 7.4% to 6%. However, this appears to have been a more popular decision, as sale skyrocketed by 488% to £660,000 ahead of the £20,000 sales of perry from the previous year. The Three Counties Cider & Perry Association (TCCPA) has launched the ‘Perry is Alive’ campaign in response to Westons' move away from tradition. A statement on the TCCPA website reads: Westons’ justification for their removal of perry from their labelling is to increase their sales figures. “The TCCPA believe this dismissal and removal of language to be damaging and a danger to the relationship drinks have with the rich history and heritage of perry, pears and the land they come from.” The organisation is now calling on members to speak out about the “importance, magic and vitality” of the pear drink by using the hashtag ‘”Perry is Alive”.
