Arctic Blue Beverages is set to launch Arctic Blue Oat, a vegan and gluten-free liqueur made from organic Finnish oats.

The new beverage, which is claimed to be the world’s first gin-based oat liqueur, contains only water and oats and no additives, unlike conventional oat drinks found in daily retail stores.

Arctic Blue Beverages CEO Valtteri Eroma said: “So far, oat has been mainly used in dairy alternatives. We have noted that oat also works as an excellent base for an alcohol product.

“Arctic Blue Oat will be available in the Finnish market before summer. After that, it will gradually be available in the rest of the world during 2021.”

The taste from the second main ingredient, artisan gin, has been thoughtfully taken into consideration during the manufacturing of Arctic Blue Oat. Artisan gin is made in Ilomantsi, which is Finland’s most eastern community.

Arctic Blue Gin manufacturer  Arctic Blue Beverages noted that Tuomas Kukkonen, a board member of the company, played a significant role in the new Arctic Blue Oat product development.

Lower environmental impact, health benefits and taste are the key benefits of oats when compared to dairy products. Oat is expected to become the largest plant-based raw material in its product field and will surpass €1bn in sales over the next five years.

The market for dairy alternative products globally has doubled in the last five years from around €10bn to €20bn. In Europe and the US, the market for these products is growing very fast.