Social media for breweries, wineries and distilleries

A drinks producer has two audiences: people who drink your product and people who stock it. Consumers find you on Instagram and Facebook, often after a visit or a tasting. Bottle shops, restaurants and distributors are more likely to notice you on LinkedIn.

If you have a taproom, cellar door or visitor centre, your Google Business Profile matters as much as any feed. Google lets alcohol businesses use Business Profile posts but says not to include content about the products, so use them for tours, events, food and opening hours.

Source: Google Business Profile Help: Create and manage posts on your Business Profile, checked 15 October 2026

Production schedules are seasonal, so your feed will be too. Harvest, bottling and release weeks give you plenty; quiet months are when you share the place, the people and the archive. Three posts a week, every week, beats a burst at launch and silence afterwards.

• Monday: what is happening this week. Brew day, racking, bottling, a new barrel filled.
• Wednesday: a process close-up. Hops going in, grapes being sorted, a still being run.
• Friday: the weekend. Taproom hours, tours, a tasting, or where to buy.
• Once a month: a people post. The head brewer, winemaker, distiller or a grower you buy from.
• Release weeks: one teaser, one launch post and one stockist post, spread over the week.

Visits turn followers into customers, and customers into the people who share you. Treat every tour and tasting as content before, during and after, and keep a consistent template so each event looks like yours.

When you photograph visitors, ask first and keep the focus on the place and the product rather than people drinking. Under the UK CAP Code, anyone drinking or playing a significant role in an alcohol ad must not be, or seem to be, under 25; TikTok's alcohol ad policy has the same age line. It is a sensible rule for every post.

1. Create a Facebook event and a Google event post for each tour or tasting, with the date, price and booking link.
2. Post a short clip from the last event a week before the next one.
3. On the day, share stories of the setting up, the room and the guide, not glasses being emptied.
4. Afterwards, post a thank-you and the date of the next event.
5. Ask visitors for a review on the way out, the same way every time and with no incentive.

Sources: ASA: CAP Code (non-broadcast), Section 18: Alcohol, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Advertising Policies: Alcohol, checked 15 October 2026; Google Maps user-generated content policy: fake engagement, checked 15 October 2026

Producers carry more rules than bars because your posts advertise a brand and a product. Here is what each source says, read on its own page. This is general information, not legal advice; check with your regulator, trade body or a lawyer before a campaign.

US, federal: the TTB's Industry Circular 2024-1 says the FAA Act advertising rules (27 CFR parts 4, 5 and 7) apply to alcohol ads in any media, including social media. For general brand posts, the only mandatory information is the responsible advertiser's name, city and state; class and type, and alcohol content for spirits, are needed when a post focuses on a specific product. TTB generally treats a whole page as one ad, so the details can sit once in your profile or about section, or behind a clearly labelled link that needs no extra steps. Posts by paid influencers must include the mandatory statements too, and a tag to your compliant page can satisfy that.

US, voluntary codes and states: the Distilled Spirits Council's Code of Responsible Practices applies to spirits marketing in the US and links to separate digital and social media guidelines. Each state also has its own alcohol rules, so check yours and any trade code you belong to.

UK: the CAP Code's alcohol section applies to alcohol ads. Factual strength information is fine, but you must not suggest a drink is better because it is stronger (18.9), and the only nutrition claims allowed are "low-alcohol", "reduced alcohol" and "reduced energy" with no health, fitness or weight-control claims (18.17). The Portman Group's codes cover naming, packaging, sponsorship, point of sale and merchandise for UK-targeted alcohol marketing not already regulated by the ASA or Ofcom, which matters when you design a label or brand a festival stand.

Platforms: Meta says alcohol ads must never target under-18s, with higher minimums in some countries (21 in the US) and a ban in others. TikTok's alcohol ad policy requires the drink's strength and a responsible drinking disclaimer, valid licences, and no people under 25, no pregnant people, no excessive drinking and no alcohol as a prize. Facebook suggests age restrictions on Pages whose topic includes alcohol.

Sources: TTB Industry Circular 2024-1: Use of Social Media in the Advertising of Alcohol Beverages, checked 15 October 2026; Distilled Spirits Council of the United States: Code of Responsible Practices, checked 15 October 2026; ASA: CAP Code (non-broadcast), Section 18: Alcohol, checked 15 October 2026; The Portman Group: Codes of Practice, checked 15 October 2026; Meta Advertising Standards: Alcohol, checked 15 October 2026; TikTok Advertising Policies: Alcohol, checked 15 October 2026; Facebook Help Center: Add or edit country and age restrictions for your Page, checked 15 October 2026

Collaborations with restaurants, bottle shops and other makers are some of the best posts a producer can share, because both audiences see them. Use Instagram collab posts so the post appears on both accounts.

Paid creators need clear labels. The FTC says a disclosure should be hard to miss and that starting a post with "Ad:" or "#ad" would likely work, in every post. The ASA prefers "Ad" at the start of the post, visible before anyone taps "see more", and says labels like "sp", "spon", "sponsored" or "thanks to" are not clear enough. In the US, TTB adds that paid influencer posts must carry your mandatory statements, which a tag to your page can cover.

• Choose creators whose audience is clearly adult, and ask for their audience age data before you agree.
• Write a short brief with the rules above, including no under-25s drinking and no health claims.
• Check every draft before it goes live, and keep a record of what you approved.
• Thank stockists publicly with a "where to buy" post each month.

Sources: FTC: Endorsement Guides, what people are asking, checked 15 October 2026; ASA Advice Online: Recognising ads, social media, checked 15 October 2026; TTB Industry Circular 2024-1: Use of Social Media in the Advertising of Alcohol Beverages, checked 15 October 2026

Answer questions about stockists, allergens and tour times quickly, and point detailed product questions to your website. Do not engage with comments asking you to send alcohol to someone who looks under age, and hide comments that tag children.

Plan the year around your production calendar and the main gifting seasons, then fill each month with the weekly rhythm above.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. Brand Brain can hold banned topics and phrases you never want used, but Zolyp does not check posts against alcohol advertising codes, so read every drinks post before you approve it. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Spring: new season releases, garden and taproom openings.
• Summer: festivals, tours, outdoor events.
• Autumn: harvest, brew days for winter beers, new barrels.
• Winter: gift sets, vouchers, tasting events and the year in review.