Supermarkets hail gin as the new Christmas spirit, with popularity driven partly by growth of small-batch distillers

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Britons have bought more than 47m bottles of gin this year, setting a new record, partly driven by the growth of craft and premium distillers such as Sipsmith.

UK gin sales have doubled in value over the last six years, reaching £1.2bn in the 12 months to the end of September, according to the latest market report from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Sales have also grown more than any other spirit sold in UK in the last year, the trade body said, with 47m bottles sold, compared with 40m in the previous 12 months.

The figures were released as a YouGov poll found gin is the most popular spirit in the UK, with 29% of drinkers voting it their favourite. Gin has leapfrogged from third place, compared with the same poll a year ago, with whiskies (25%) in second place and vodka (23%) close in third.

“The British public show no signs of growing tired of trying new gins, with well over 100 brands now available,” said Miles Beale, WSTA chief executive. “Our innovative gin distillers are now offering a range of gins infused with locally sourced botanicals, including seaweed and rhubarb, and even Christmas gins with frankincense and myrrh.”



Supermarkets say gin is the new Christmas spirit and are gearing up for record sales over the festive period. This year the Co-op predicts that it will sell five times as much gin as sherry, and twice as much as port.

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Jonathan Grey, a gin buyer for Co-op, said: “We expect gin sales to far exceed that of both sherry and port combined this December. Co-op has increased its range of premium gins, introducing brands such as Whitley Neil and Sipsmith, as well as developing our very own premium gin.”

Sainsbury’s expects to sell 30% more gin this Christmas than last year, also forecasting strong sales of premium gin. “Brits’ appetite for gin is seemingly insatiable and a lot of the growth in the market is coming from premium and craft gins,” said Judith Batchelar, director of Sainsbury’s brand.



“While many shoppers will be buying gin to drink during the festive party season, we’ve also seen a rise in sales for gifting. Beautiful bottles of premium gin have become a popular alternative to single malt whisky.”

Gin-themed Christmas gifts available this year include hot water bottles, baubles, advent calendars, Christmas jumpers, fairy lights, Christmas crackers and even gin-flavoured cheese.

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