According to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), UK gin sales and exports for 2018 are now worth more than £2.7bn.
The WSTA also revealed that last year’s sales of gin, during the 12-week Christmas period to 29 December, were up 40% on the same period in 2017.
During the first quarter of the past two years, figures also showed that sales of gin peaked in March, in the run-up to Mother’s Day (31 March).
Between January and March 2017, gin sold in UK supermarkets and shops reached 6.4m bottles, of which 2.6m (41%) of those bottles were sold during March.
Over the same 12-week period last year, 9m bottles of gin were sold, of which 4.7m (52%) of those bottles were sold during March
They also noted the "ever-growing rise" of flavoured gin, which was valued at £165m in 2018 – an enormous 751% growth compared to 2017.
WSTA chief executive Miles Beale believes the growth is down to sales of pink and flavoured gin as an array of new products continue to enter the market.
“The truly staggering rise in gin sales shows that British gin is gaining more and more fans by the day,” exclaimed Beale.
“Its high time gin’s new status and reputation were celebrated and supported by Government, which should be offering more support for British gin exports and a less taxing duty regime, both of which fail to support our entrepreneurial and innovative distillers.”
In the past year, gin has leapfrogged whiskies and liqueurs to take second place in the most popular drinks list sold in the on-trade.
