The gin boom shows no sign of slowing. From value brands to high price artisan distillers, there is strong demand for all segments of the gin market.

Britain’s on-trade gin sales were worth £1.42bn in the 12 months to mid-May 2019 - 55.6% up on the previous 12 months, according to CGA.

No fewer than 247 new gin brands have entered the market in the last five years—accounting for nearly a quarter (24%) of all new product development (NPD).

So with a thirst among consumers for new drinks, emerging gin producers are pushing at an open door. Two thirds (65%) of consumers agree that they enjoy trying new or different spirit brands - nine percentage points higher than the general spirit drinkers’ average.

CGA’s report shows that much of the flourishing interest in gin is being driven by pink and flavoured varieties. Sales in this category increased more than eight-fold to £392m in the 12 months to mid-May, and around 5.1 million consumers now say they drink pink gin - a number that has more than doubled from 2.2 million in a year.

Sales of mainstream brands leapt by 80.0% in the last year, but gins in the premium category saw sales rise too - by 24.9%. Super-premium brands fared even better, with sales up 46.3%.

As the sales figures suggest, gin has attracted many new drinkers in the last few years. Around 8.9 million British consumers now drink it out of home—2.3 million more than 12 months earlier. This eye-catching increase means that more people now drink gin more often than vodka out-of-home.

(source: CGA, image: pixabay)