Everpour trial: Bringing the next generation of spirit serving to pubs in Ireland this Christmas

Everpour, Diageo’s smart keg and dispense system expands its trial just in time for the festive rush – making life easier for bartenders, providing real time insights, and reducing single use glass.

Last year the company launched the first trial of Everpour, the bespoke circular keg and dispense system with Smirnoff in and around Dublin. Its has now expanded and evolved the trial specifically designed to help pubs ahead of the festive season – a critical period when speed, reliability and stock visibility are more important than ever.

Everpour is a keg and dispense system where spirits bottles are automatically refilled as they are put in the dispense unit. The Everpour units are stainless steel kegs designed to last up to 25 years in five or 20 litre sizes of Smirnoff vodka and once the keg is empty, it is sent back to Diageo, cleaned, refilled and sent back out to participating bars.

Picture courtesy: Diageo.

‘Our first trial showed us just how well the Everpour system works in real bar environments: with the intuitive and bartender friendly system. Everpour is an example of experimentation and insight in action. Working with the trade has enabled us to bring an innovation to market which we believe has commercial potential as well as the potential to deliver significant carbon savings,’ commented Miranda Essex, head of breakthrough innovation for sustainability at Diageo.

The second phase of the trial will test the impact of the smart system – initially 10 pubs will have Everpour units with a further 15 coming onboard in the new year. In this trial, the keg units have greater technology benefits to further enhance the user experience:

• Drinks dispense tracking. Smart monitoring will be in place which will allow bartenders to see when the keg is running low.

• Safety features. The system now has enhanced brand protection and quality control features, along with leak and blockage detection and temperature alerts to make sure our products are served at the optimum temperature.

• Keg tracking and monitoring. Each keg has a RFID tag which allows Diego to track its exact location and status through an app.

Whilst Everpour has many benefits to help the running of the bar, it is also a Diageo designed solution to reduce the number of glass bottles needed and subsequent carbon emissions. The current projected carbon savings for a scaled post trial launch of the Everpour unit in Ireland is very encouraging. The lifecycle analysis (LCA) estimated a reduction of at least 500 single use 70 cl glass bottles per Everpour unit over its life time, and a projected packaging carbon footprint savings of up to 83%.

Pub owner Danny Kenny said, ‘I am delighted to take part in the second stage of the Everpour trial having used the system last year during its initial trial period. The Everpour solution reduces our labour costs with a neat keg system that is far easier to store and manage versus cases of traditional glass bottles. It also reduces glass waste and the system now has a clear stock control display which makes stocktaking much easier.’

The trial is expected to run until Summer 2026. Further trials and wider roll out will be subject to trial success.