Gin boom shows no signs of slowing as total value hits £3bn

Published: 07 August, 2019

The value of the total gin category has hit £3bn suggesting that the gin bubble has yet to burst.

New export figures from HMRC show that, in the last 12 months to May 2019, gin exports from the UK were worth £730m, while domestically over 76 million bottles of gin were sold in the last 12 months (WSTA to March 2019), worth £2.3 billion, putting the total value of the category at just over £3bn.

Of the £730m gin exported from the UK, around £350m is heading to the EU with the remaining £380m worth heading further afield.

“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 £3bn annually,” said WSTA chief executive Miles Beale.

Gin’s continued domestic popularity, and the growth in the spirits category overall, had “no doubt” been helped by the decision to freeze duty on spirits in the last Budget, he added.

“Looking at the popularity of British gin overseas is also cause for celebration. Around 46% - £350m, of all British gin exports head to the EU, and so it is imperative that the government works with the EU to secure trade that is as seamless in the future as it is now.”

The WSTA is predicting that domestic gin sales will smash the 100 million bottle barrier within 12 months.

The value of exported gin from the UK is around £730 million according to the latest HMRC data, with around £350m heading to the EU and the remaining £380m worth of gin heading further afield.

According to the WSTA’s Market Report, total UK spirit sales last year were worth over £11bn, with around 400 million bottles sold – meaning that one in every five bottles of spirit sold in the UK in the last year was gin.

Sales of gin in supermarkets and shops were worth almost £1bn, an increase of 43% on the value of gin in March 2018.

In pubs, bars and restaurants, gin enjoyed even stronger growth, with an incredible 56% increase on last year’s volume sales – nearly 6 million more bottles were sold in the 12 months to March 2019 than in the 12 months to March 2018.

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