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The data has once again by compiled by insights expert CGA by NielsenIQ, which has discovered almost all sales have risen in the best-in-class league tables with just one exception in one category.
Last year’s Drinks List 2022 showed losses in general but the bounceback has been extremely positive this year with some brands seeing volume and value hikes of 100% and much more in a few cases.
Notable mentions go to the craft beer category, which has seen one brand enjoy a more than 500% boost in value sales while its volume figure has gone above 480%. And this is in a section where eight of the top 10 variants have seen sales rise by more than 100%.
Meanwhile, the whiskies category has seen 100%-plus increases for EVERY brand in the top 10 league table – and that is true for volume and vale sales.
The way the Drinks List: Top Brands to Stock in 2023 works is individual variants in each drink category are ranked from best-performing downwards when it comes to volume and value sales throughout the year from October 2021 to 9 October 2022. Some sections may have as many as the leading 10 brands while others such as RTDs and vodka have nine and five respectively.
Here, we show you the sector leaders with statistics that show their credentials during the past year and how that has differed from the previous year.
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Greene King
At Greene King, we have been passionate about fresh, quality cask beer for over two centuries and we don’t plan on stopping now. We continue to challenge ourselves to evolve and deliver a hand-crafted ale, served best fresh from the bar.
With some of the nation’s favourite cask beers in our portfolio, we continue to offer a wide range of cask ales and champion the unique and traditional beer with a calendar of limited-edition ales, bringing new tastes, flavours and styles of beer into the sector.
As part of our permanent cask ale range, we have the brewery’s flagship ale Greene King IPA. First brewed in Bury St Edmunds over 90 years ago, this is an easy drinking, sessionable ale with a hoppy taste and aroma, making it the perfect refreshment to enjoy while watching sport.
Old Speckled Hen, a unique and deliciously smooth refreshing ale, is the choice for the more curious drinker. For a savouring pint, Abbot Ale is a traditional cask ale using a brewing process that has hardly changed over hundreds of years and is the ideal choice of ale to relax with.
Visit www.greeneking.co.uk to find out more about our beers.
• All data provided by CGA for the 12 months to 8 October 2022
Liqueurs & specialities
Jagermeister once again secured top spot in this division, which saw huge improvements from last year’s listings.
Although every figures for each brands was positive, there was movement within the category that saw Baileys, Amaretto Disaronno and Sourz Cherry rise while Aperol, Malibu and Pimm’s No1 dropped.
Baileys in second spot secured the largest increase in volume and value sales overall as it sold 138,662 9lcs – a rise of 142.2% from last year – and its value rose 147.9% to £104.1m from £42m previously.
Aside from Jagermeister, Sourz Apple and Antica Sambuca Classic held the same position as last year with Archers Peach being the only new entry.
Read more here.
Cask ale
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St Austell
St Austell Brewery has been crafting quality beers in Cornwall since 1851 and remains a proudly independent and family-owned business.
Zesty and fresh, Tribute pale ale is brewed with specially sourced ingredients, including Cornish Gold malt and hops from the UK and the USA. Its malty base brings character and flavour and balances the beer’s fresh orange and grapefruit notes.
Andrew Turner, chief operating officer, said: “We’re delighted to see Tribute continuing to become more popular year on year, moving up once again in the list. It’s testament to our continued investment into quality, the craftsmanship of our brewers, and the taste credentials of our much-loved flagship brand.”
Visit www.staustellfamilygroup.co.uk/trade-with-us/ to stock.
Cask ale fought back magnificently this year according to CGA by NielsenIQ data as it shed the shackles of the pandemic-enforced restrictions and returned to its rightful place in the pub.
Doom Bar topped the sales table again in both volume and value while Timothy Taylor’s Landlord switched positions with Green King IPA in the top two places.
Fuller’s London Pride and Green King Abbot Ale kept control of positions four and five as they did last year while St Austell tribute Ale moved up a place to sixth as it boosted sales in volume and value by 114.4% and 121.1% respectively.
Butcombe Original took ninth spot with Young's Original rounding out the top 10 while slots seven and eight were taken by Wainwright and Marston’s Pedigree.
Read more here.
Rum
The top five rums have retained their position from last year’s Drinks List as all brands saw huge leaps in volume and value sales this term.
Captain Morgan Spiced sold three times as many nine-litre cases as its nearest rival and made more than three times as much money in value sales. It clocked up 367,369 9lcs volume sales and £389.2m in value.
Second-placed Bacardi Carta Blanca was the only other brand to reach in excess of 100,000 9lcs and £100m in sales.
Kraken Black Spiced Rum, Captain Morgan and Havana Club 3 Year Old made up the top five positions while new entrant Captain Morgan Tiki, in 10th spot, saw volume and value sales rise by 558.4% and 636.9% respectively.
Read more here.
Craft beer
Every brand in the top 10 of the craft beer category has seen rises in volume and value sales with Camden Town Hells Lager remaining at the top of the tree.
Camden Town also secured third spot as its Pale Ale variant rose a place to slot in below Beavertown Neck Oil in silver position.
BrewDog Punk IPA slipped one spot to fourth while Blue Moon rose a spot to fifth and Marston’s Shipyard fell one to sixth.
Beavertown Gamma Ray also gained a place as it went seventh in the table while Brooklyn Lager fell two positions to ninth.
Greene King Icebreaker was the biggest riser in percentage terms as a new entrant to the top 10 saw volume sales up more than 480% and value sales rose by over 520%.
Innis & Gunn Lager was the other new entrant as in came in 10th after boosting sales by more than 210% in volume and value sales.
Read more here.
Spirits
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Festive favourites from Halewood Artisanal Spirits
Halewood Artisanal Spirits is an award-winning UK-based craft distiller that offers a range of quality, premium sprits for your venue, including Whitley Neill Gin, Dead Man’s Fingers, JJ Whitley Vodka, Aber Falls and Samuel Gelston’s Irish Whiskey.
Whitley Neill, the UK’s most loved premium gin brand, boasts a range of quality gins, from its Distiller’s Cut London Dry to its much loved Rhubarb & Ginger and Raspberry Gin. For the first time, both of these popular flavours are now also available in 0.0 alternatives. These are a great addition to any menu this season, providing the perfect option for those looking for their favourite Whitley Neill gin, without the alcohol. New festive launches which are also available now include Whitley Neill Black Cherry and a limited edition Mince Pie Gin, perfect for a creating delicious hot chocolate and latte serves this winter.
Unconventional Spiced Rum brand, Dead Man’s Fingers is also guaranteed to turn heads this season with its distinctive bold branding and stand out product line up, which includes its flagship Spiced Rum (which is also now available as a Spiced 0.0 alternative), and core flavours including Passion Fruit and Cherry. It also offers a great line up of cream liqueurs from Raspberry Rum Cream Liqueur, Strawberry Tequila Cream Liqueur and has even just launched a new Coffee Tequila Liqueur which is perfect for enjoying over ice, or in a luxurious Espresso Martini serve.
For more information about Halewood Artisanal Spirits award winning spirits offering and detail on how we can support your venue over the festive period, visit https://halewood-int.com/ or contact your local sales rep.
Smirnoff Red, Captain Morgan Spiced and Jagermeister were the top three best-selling spirits in 2022.
Following a 157.1% uplift in value and a rise in sales of 9-litre cases (lcs) of 150.2%, Smirnoff Red remained the most sold spirit over the past 12 months while Captain Morgan Spiced moved up two places with a £248.6m increase in value to be crowned the second best-selling spirit of the year.
Coming in at number three, Jagermeister’s position on the list remained unchanged with a 98.3% uplift in value from £155.9m to £309.2m while Gordons Pink Gin moved own two spaces to fourth place despite being the most serve in the spirits category.
Gordons Original stayed in fifth place this year with a rise in sales of 9lcs from 106,909 to 251,625 and a 144.2% uplift in value.
Coming in at number six, Jack Daniels’ position also remained unchanged this year following a 154.6% rise in value from £107.8m to £274.5m while Baileys moved one space up the list to seventh place with its sales of 9lcs having increased from 57,256 to 138,662.
A new entry for 2023, Absolut Blue was the eighth best-selling spirit of 2022 with a 212.9% rise in value while Bacardi Carta Blanca remained in ninth place with a 92.1% increase in sales of 9lcs.
Closing the list, Amaretto Disaronno, another new entry for this year, was the tenth most sold spirit of 2022 with 139.7% rise in sales of 9lcs from 43,692 last year to 104,711 this year and a 142.6% increase in value from £47.9m to £116.3m.
Read more here.
Wine
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Lanchester Wines
Lanchester Wines, proud to supply the UK’s on trade with the highest quality wines and spirits.
We believe you should be able to offer your customers the perfect wine every time. And, at a price that keeps them coming back for more.
Our extensive wine collection includes high quality wines and spirits from all corners of the world, and we work directly with some of the leading wine producers to make sure we’re always offering the best quality wine at competitive prices.
Our customers benefit from a range of added value services, including a dedicated account manager, staff training and bespoke wine list production. Our wines are available in different formats including 187ml, glass, PET and cans, and we have in-house design facilities to create bespoke wine labels for your venue.
We are a sustainable wine business and continue to invest heavily in the generation of renewable energy at our County Durham headquarters – because we believe being carbon neutral is just the beginning. We actively seek business partners and suppliers who share our vision and each of our wine suppliers has adapted to their environment, social surroundings and used the resources available.
Jack Rabbit Pinot Grigio has remained the most sold wine over the past 12 months with a 76.4% rise in value and 74.8% increase in sales of 9-litre cases (9lcs) from 90,755 last year to 158,649 this year.
Fetzer Coldwater Creek Pinot Grigio moved one space up the list to take second place while Moet & Chandon moved down to third place.
The biggest year-on-year increase in both value and volume was seen by Vinuva Prosecco, taking the fourth spot with a 124% increase in sales of 9lcs and a 122.1% uplift in value, rising from £9.2m last year to £20.4m this year.
Almost tying, Fetzer Coldwater Creek White Zinfandel Rose and Jack Rabbit Merlot claimed fifth and sixth place on the list respectively, with the former seeing sales of 9lcs almost double (95.4%) in the past 12 months while the latter was not far different at 95.7%
Proving a popular brand for the Drinks List 2023, Jack Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay variants were in seventh and eight place respectively while Fetzer made another appearance with its Chardonnay offering, a new entry for this year, to take ninth place.
The tenth best-selling wine of the year was Da Luca Prosecco, another new entry for this year, with an increase in value of 93.9% from £7.6m to £14.7m and and 85% rise in sales of 9lcs from 27,669 to 51,262.
Read more here.
Cider
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Kopparberg
Our story starts in Kopparberg; a small town 150 miles from Stockholm and a million miles from anywhere else like it.
First known for its copper and gold reserves, this small town was bubbling away with something much richer. A local soft water spring, packed full of naturally occurring minerals, created the perfect blend for what would become the world’s first fruit cider: Kopparberg.
Today we still brew using the original recipe, in the same small town because regardless of where our drinks are enjoyed in the world, Kopparberg stays true to its heartland.
It is from this steadfast dedication to our founder and owner, Peter Bronsman’s original values, as well as a continuing focus on delivering premium fruit refreshment, that Kopparberg has been able to position itself as the UK’s Bestselling1 & Most Loved2 Fruit Cider brand, with more drinkers than any other Beer & Cider brand3.
Sources: 1. IRI Marketplace, Total Market Fruit Cider, Value, 52wks to 02/10/22., 2. Savanta, Top 100 Most Loved Drinks Brands report, n=96,000, Jul ’21- Jun ’22., 3. Kantar Worldpanel, Total Beer & Cider, Penetration 52we 15th May 2022
Strongbow has kept its place at the top of best-selling cider chart for another year, with a 74.8% increase in volume sales and 76.8% in value.
Last year’s third place has become this year’s second place – Thatchers Gold had 290,662HL in volume sales (up 114%) and £187.7m in value (a rise of 118.3%).
In third this year was a former second place brand – Strongbow Dark Fruit, which was up in value by 71.7% (from £102.7m) and volume by 67.3% (from 158,335HL).
Fourth was Stowford Press, which also reported the largest rise in sales (150.4% in volume and 158.8% in value.
In fifth was Magners Original while numbers six and seven were Thatchers Somerset Haze and Rekorderlig Strawberry & Lime respectively.
Old Mout Cider Berries & Cherries took eighth place, Aspall Suffolk Cyder came in a number nine and Carling Black Fruit Cider was number 10.
Read more here.
Gin
Gordons Pink Gin has remained the best selling gin while its original variant retained second place on this year’s list, with an increase in value of 66.9% and 144.2% respectively.
Moving up one space, Tanqueray took third place with a 139.4% uplift in sales of 9-litre cases from 35,663 to 85,502 this year while Bombay Sapphire moved down a space to fourth with an increase in value of 110.3% from £44.7m to £89.6m.
Beefeater’s original offering moved up one to take fifth place while its Pink London Dry Gin moved up three spaces to be crowned the seventh best selling gin of the year and its Blood Orange Gin dropped two spots to ninth place following value increases of 155.1%, 127.8% and 52.4% respectively.
Hendricks moved down one space on the list, coming in at number 6 with a 60.5% uplift to sales of 9lcs from 31,082 to 49,880 while Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla moved up a spot to eighth place with an 88.1% value increase.
And finally, the tenth most sold gin of the year was Tanqueray 10, a new entry for this year, with an increase in value of 109.6% from £9.4m to £19.7m and a rise in sales of 9lcs from 6,192 last year to 12,366 this year.
Read more here.
Lager
The majority of the best-selling lager over the past 12 months have remained unchanged with Carling, Fosters, Birra Moretti and Peroni Nastro Azzurro taking the top four places on this year’s list respectively
Carling saw an 89.1% growth in value this year while Fosters saw sales of 9-litre cases increase from 689,084 last year to 1,142,509 this year with Birra Moretti seeing a 132.8% rise in value and 140.6% increase in volume.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro kept fourth place with a 124.3% uplift in value while Coors moved up one space to take the fifth place with a 118.3% increase in sales of 9lcs from 361,023 to 787,938.
The only lager to move down a place on this year’s list, Stella Artois came in at number 6 with an 81.9% rise in sales of 9lcs and £224.3m elevation in value.
Coming in at number 7, Carlsberg Danish Pilsner saw an 86.7% rise in value from £205.1m to £382.9m while the eighth best-selling lager, San Miguel, saw its sales of 9lcs increase from 302,426 to 647,281.
Amstel remained in ninth place this year an 88.8% rise in value from £200m to £377.6m while Tennents Lager took tenth place following an increase of 245,759 to sales of 9lcs.
Read more here.
Mixers
The mixer category has been taken over by newcomers this year, but Fever Tree has once again bagged top spot in first place.
Schweppes Tonic Water and Fever Free Refreshingly Light Tonic have swapped places, slotting respectively into second and third position, followed by Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water in fourth.
What’s more, newcomer, Britvic Tonic Water, falls into fifth place, followed by its sibling Britvic Low Calorie Tonic Water in sixth position – and there’s only a small margin between their volume and value sales.
The lower end of the list is dominated by new faces. In seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th position are Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water, Canada Dry, Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water then Schweppes Signature Collection Crisp Tonic Water.
Read more here.
No and low
This year’s top selling low and no-alcohol beer is Heineken 0.0 once again. The brand reported rises in both volume and value sales of 149.8% and 153.6% respectively.
Becks LA Alcohol Free (Blue) was in second place while Peroni Libera was third and San Miguel 0% was fourth.
In fifth position was Erdinger Alkoholfrei, rounding off the first half of the top 10, all of which remained unchanged in their spots against 2021.
While the top five saw no change compared to last year, the second half were all new entries.
Adnams Ghost Ship Alcohol Free was in sixth position while Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0, which only launched in April this year, came in at seventh.
Number eight was Lucky Saint Unfiltered Low Alcohol Lager, BrewDog Punk AF was ninth and Brooklyn Special Effects took the spot number 10.
Read more here.
RTDs
This year’s ready-to-drink (RTD) category proves blue is best, with WKD Blue the clear candidate for top spot followed by VK Blue.
It’s a technicolour explosion, with Smirnoff Ice Red and VK Orange & Passionfruit following in third and fourth spot, with other VK products featuring in sixth and eighth place (VK Tropical Fruits and VK Strawberry and Lime).
Across the board, there’s been promising uplifts in volume and value sales. The exception is for Smirnoff Draught Passion Fruit Martini, which bottoms the list in ninth place – dropping four spaces since last year.
Read more here.
Soft drinks
Coca-Cola and Diet Coke remain top of the soft drinks category in first and second place, followed once again by Pepsi Max in third place.
This is tailed by Schweppes Lemonade, which has risen two ranks since last year. Then comes R Whites, Pepsi and Coke Zero in fifth, sixth and seventh place before Diet Pepsi in the eighth spot.
Rounding off the list in ninth and 10th place are Schweppes Lime Cordial and Red Bull, which saw strong increases in value and volume sales.
Read more here.
Tequila
Jose Cuervo Especial has taken the first and second spots in this year’s top selling Tequila brands with both seeing sales increases of more than three quarters.
While Gold saw a rise in volume sales to 52,853 9lc (up 122.3%), value sales also increased by a similar percentage (133.1%) – up from £26.1m. Volume sales for sister variant Silver were up by 78% to 19,668 9lc and value by 83.7% to £22.9m.
In third was Olmeca Blanco, which saw the biggest rise in both volume (200%) and value (216.1%) sales.
Fourth and fifth place was Olmeco Reposado and a new entry for this year Cazcabel Blanco. In the second half of the top 10, El Jimador Blanco, Patron Silver, Olmeco Altos Plata, El Jimador Reposado and Don Angel Blanco made up sixth to tenth place.
Read more here.
Vodka
Smirnoff Blue, Absolut Blue and Ketel One remain the top three products in the vodka category, with Absolut Vanilla and Grey Goose switching respectively into fourth and fifth place.
It’s been a strong year across the board, with all vodka products seeing large increases in volume and value sales. Absolut Blue saw the biggest rises, and Grey Goose, the only product to drop down a place, saw the smallest.
There was no competition for top sport – with Smirnoff Red outstripping the other drinks by miles in volume and value. It’s also been a solid 12 months for last year’s newcomer Absolut Vanilla, which climbed from fifth to fourth place.
Whiskies
While all the top 10 whisky brands saw sales increase by more than 100% across the board, Jack Daniels retained the top slot for this year, with volume sales up by 145.6% to 229,722 9lc and value also seeing a rise of 154.6% to £274.5m.
Second place Famous Grouse also kept its place compared to last year, with value sales having increased by 130.6% to £92.2m and value up a similar percentage of 122% from to 41,204 9lc.
It was a similar story for third place Bells, which also has remained in the same position while sales have increased in volume terms by 134.9% and value by 144.3%. Jameson and Johnnie walker Black Label 12 Year Old took fourth and fifth place respectively – again the same spots as 2021.
Making up the rest of the top 10 was Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Whiskey Liqueur at number six, Whyte & Mackay in seventh (down one) and Makers Mark Kentucky Bourbon in eighth (up one).
At number nine was Johnnie Walker Red Label, which had slipped slightly by one place against last year and at number 10 was Monkey Shoulder, retaining its position on the previous 12 months.
Read more here.
