Pink gin boosts flavoured gin sales in UK

Sales of flavoured gin in the UK were driven by pink variants last year and are expected to grow further in 2019, according to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Alcohol producers are clearly taking note of the pink gin trend

In the WSTA’s latest Market Report, gin sales in the UK have been valued at £1.9 billion (US$2.4bn) in 2018 after more than 66 million bottles were sold during the 12-month period.

The WSTA says the growth was down to sales of pink and flavoured gin as new products continue to enter the market.

Flavoured gin sales have driven half of all growth of gin in the UK in the last recorded 12 months, despite only representing one fifth of total sales. Almost three quarters of the flavoured gin category’s growth was boosted by pink gin.

The WSTA attributed the growth of flavoured and pink gin to consumers under the age of 45.

Looking across cocktails, there has also been a surge in popularity for herbal bitter liqueurs and red-orange coloured apèritifs mixed with sparkling wine. The drinks are noted for being “Instagrammable” due to their colour.

UK consumers also purchased more than four million bottles of non-cream liqueur cocktails from supermarkets and shops during the 2018 heatwave. The sales were up by 56% on the same 12 weeks in 2017, the equivalent of an extra 1.4m bottles.

The growth of pink gin comes after a number of drinks companies launched pink line extensions in the past few years, including Gordon’s Pink, Beefeater Pink and Bacardi’s Bosford Rose Premium Gin & Strawberry Liqueur.

Pink gin also boosted the value of Irish gin exports from the Republic of Ireland in the first nine months of 2018, according to a recent report.