UK gin sales surpass £2bn for the first time

Gin sales in the UK soared past the £2 billion mark for the first time in the 12 months to March 2019, according to figures from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

One in five spirits bottles sold in UK is gin

During the 12-month period, gin sales reached £2.3 billion (US$2.8bn) in the UK. The WSTA found that 76 million bottles of gin were sold in the 12 months to March 2019 and expects sales to surpass 100 million bottles within 12 months.

According to the WSTA’s Market Report, total UK spirit sales last year were worth more than £11bn (US$13.4bn), with around 400m bottles sold – meaning that one in every five bottles of spirits sold in the UK in the last year was gin.

Sales of gin in supermarkets and shops were worth almost £1bn (US$1.2bn) during the same period, an increase of 43% compared to the previous 12 months, while gin sales in pubs and bars increased by 56% over this time.

As domestic gin sales continue to rise, the WSTA also published figures from HMRC that showed an increase in gin exports.

The figures demonstrated that the value of exported gin from the UK was around £730m (US$887m) in the 12 months to May 2019. Of this, £350m (US$425m) headed to the EU and the remaining £380m (US$462) went further afield.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, 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.

“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.”