While the headlines have focused on big brands reformulating their old flavours into bottled liquids, a parallel and quieter movement has been growing across the UK e-liquid scene. Smaller producers, premium positioning, more nuanced flavour development. Some industry watchers are already drawing the parallel with craft beer’s emergence in the early 2010s.
UK craft e-liquid producers have been around for over a decade. Wick Liquor, Doozy, Dinner Lady, Drifter, Big Bottle Co. These aren’t new names. What’s changed is their share of mind among more experienced UK vapers, and the way they’ve responded to the bottled-liquid moment.
The mainstream brand-converted ranges (Elux Liquid, Hayati, ElfLiq, Bar Juice 5000) still dominate the market by volume. Their advantage is flavour familiarity and consistent supply. The craft segment plays a different game: smaller batches, slower flavour development, premium pricing, more single-flavour focus rather than complex blends.
The volume gap between mainstream and craft is significant. Available from independent retailers like Ecigone, the bottled Elux Legend nic salt range is one of the most recognisable mainstream lines. As Shane Margereson, founder of Ecigone, observed in his analysis of the brand: “Elux Legend nic salts outsell everything else on Ecigone by about 10 to 1. I’m a dessert vaper at heart and fruit salts aren’t my usual thing, but when a brand shifts that kind of volume you pay attention.”
That ten-to-one ratio captures the dynamic of the UK 10ml nic salt market. A handful of mainstream disposable-converted brands command the bulk of sales. The craft segment competes for what’s left, but does so on quality and differentiation rather than volume.
The pricing tells the story. A standard 10ml nic salt from a former-disposable brand like Elux sells for three to five pounds. A premium 100ml shortfill from a craft maker often sits at fifteen to twenty pounds. That’s not three times more for three times more product. It’s roughly four times the price-per-millilitre, but the customers buying it report finding the quality difference noticeable.
What does ‘craft’ actually mean in this context? Several things. First, smaller production batches, which means flavours can be tweaked between runs. Second, longer steeping times before bottling, which improves flavour development. Third, more single-flavour focus rather than complex blends. A craft strawberry tends to be just strawberry done well, rather than strawberry with three other things mixed in. Fourth, packaging that doesn’t look like it came off a disposable production line.
The customer profile is also different. Craft e-liquid buyers tend to be older, more experienced vapers who use sub-ohm devices or refillable pod kits with high-VG liquids. They’re often the same people who care about coffee origins and beer styles.
This matters for the industry’s broader trajectory. The craft segment is what gives the UK e-liquid market durability. If everything was disposable-converted brands competing on price and flavour replication, the category would be commoditised within five years. The craft segment provides ongoing innovation, flavour development, and premium positioning. It’s the equivalent of how craft beer kept interest in beer alive once mainstream lager went corporate.
For a vaper who’s settled into a routine and is now thinking about upgrading the experience, the craft segment is worth investigating. Buying a single bottle of a craft fruit blend or menthol-mint and comparing it directly with your usual mainstream pick is a useful exercise. About half the time, customers report the difference is noticeable but not enough to justify the price premium for daily use. The other half report they’ll never go back.
Most independent UK vape retailers carry both segments. The fact that they coexist on the same shelves tells you something about where the market is heading. The disposable ban accelerated a shift towards segmentation: budget, mainstream, and premium tiers. The craft segment is where the most interesting work is being done. Quietly. With strawberries.
