Sober Spirits wins IWSC 2025 Low & No Cocktails & Spirits Producer Trophy

French innovators Sober Spirits have claimed the IWSC's Low & No Cocktails & Spirits Producer Trophy with their revolutionary approach to dealcoholised spirits. 

In Grasse, the Provençal town famous for perfume, a different kind of distillation is quietly rewriting the rules of drinking. Here, Sober Spirits takes the likes of whisky, rum, gin and other spirits and gently removes the alcohol, leaving behind what founder Calixte Payan calls “the soul of authentic spirits.” 

That pioneering approach has just earned Sober Spirits the IWSC’s 2025 Low & No Cocktails & Spirits Producer Trophy. 

The award recognises excellence in one of the drinks industry’s fastest-moving frontiers. Most producers blend water with flavourings, sweeteners and colourings. Sober Spirits, by contrast, begins with genuine spirits and protects their aromatic compounds through proprietary extraction. The result is complexity and mouthfeel well beyond imitation. 

Their Sober Spirits Spritz release, launched this year, shows how far they’re pushing the category. Marketed as the world’s first sugar-free dealcoholised spritz, it takes on competitors that can contain up to 35% sugar. “We want alcohol-free experiences every bit as good as alcohol,” says Payan. 

Sustainability is the golden thread through the Sober Spirits business model. Ethanol extracted in dealcoholisation is sold on to luxury perfumers in Grasse, a rare example of circular economy thinking in drinks. Packaging is recyclable, and their R&D team is devoted to reducing energy use while capturing ever more flavour. 

The impact is global. From 17 countries in 2024, they are on track to close 2025 in 33 markets, with mixologists in Europe and North America using Sober Spirits to craft cocktails that feel serious, not secondary. 

For the IWSC judges, this combination of authenticity, innovation and scale made Sober Spirits the clear choice. For the rest of us, it signals how far the no-alcohol movement has come: from sweet substitutes to spirits with a real pedigree.

Congratulations to Sober Spirits.