Quelling recent fears that the gin bubble may have burst, the WSTA’s latest Market Report shows that the rise and rise of gin in the UK is, in fact, continuing at an even greater pace.
Latest figures show that, domestically, more than 76m bottles of gin were sold in the 12 months to March 2019, worth £2.3bn.
Export figures from HMRC show in the 12 months to May gin exports from the UK were worth over £700m, putting the total value of the category at just over £3bn.
The WSTA, which has championed the cause of British gin in the last few years, is predicting that, far from slowing down, domestic gin sales will smash the 100m-bottle barrier within 12 months, whilst sales overseas will continue to grow.
According to the WSTA’s Market Report, total UK spirit sales last year were worth over £11bn, with around 400m bottles sold, with gin accounting for one in every five bottles of spirit sold in the UK in the last year.
In inns, pubs, bars and restaurants, gin enjoyed even stronger growth, with an incredible 56% increase on last year’s volume sales. Nearly 6m more bottles were sold in the 12 months to March 2019 than in the previous 12 months.
Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: “It’s been another phenomenal 12 months for gin and, despite recent reports suggesting the gin bubble may have burst, our numbers suggest the exact opposite – not only is gin’s popularity here to stay, it’s now worth over £3 billion annually.
“Gin’s continued domestic popularity, and the growth in the spirits category overall, has no doubt been helped by the decision to freeze duty on spirits in the last Budget. We need further supportive action from the Government as we approach Budget time once more.
“Looking at the popularity of British gin overseas is also cause for celebration. £350 million, or around 46% of all British gin exports head to the EU, and so it is imperative that the Government works with the European Union to secure trade that is as seamless in the future as it is now.
“Drinkers here in the UK and overseas have never had such a wide array of British gins to choose from, and we have seen a huge increase in the choices of pink and flavoured gins available, too.”