Gin sales have reached record highs in the United Kingdom as holiday purchases took off. At Christmastime alone, consumers purchased the equivalent amount of gin to one bottle per U.K. adult
A Lot of Gin!
Sales throughout the last quarter spiked to record highs as the country purchased the equivalent to one bottle of gin per adult in the country. In fact, there was a £104 million rise in sales when compared with the 2016 holiday season. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) released its figures which included the record gin sales.
Throughout the 2017 holiday season, U.K. consumers purchased more than 16 million bottles of gin. This was the equivalent to £413 million in sales, said the WSTA. Moreover, those sales exclusively occurred during the 12 weeks leading up to December’s close.
Huge Year-Over-Year Increase
In 2016, during those same 12 weeks, U.K. consumers purchased 2 and a half million fewer bottles of gin. That represents an increase of 28 percent in sales during the festive season.
Alcoholic beverages are an important tradition in the United Kingdom at that time of year. That trend made gin and similarly themed gifts very popular gifts. Additional purchases included gin glassware, baubles and even advent calendars.
The Rest of the Year
All through 2017, people across the U.K. purchased a tremendous 51 million bottles of the spirit, said the WSTA stats. That represents a 27 percent volume growth over the previous years. That means an additional nine and a half million bottles were sold in 2017 over 2016.
This quick growth in British distilleries and the hike in the number of juniper spirit brands last year has been a driving force in the best ever sales. The country now has 315 gin distilleries. When compared with the number from five years ago, the figure has doubled.
Beyond the number of distilleries, there are currently more than 100 British gin brands. That represents twice the number of brands since 2011.
Moreover, in 2017, British gin exports also saw a record breaking year. This shows that the upward trend is not exclusive to the U.K. The global market is shopping as well. Exports reached £530 million in sales last year.