Gin and wine sales sparkle as boozy Brits prop up the bar
The gin and sparkling wine craze is providing a much needed boost to British pubs according to new figures released by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.
The latest WSTA Market Report reveals that in the last 12 months more than £1bn worth of gin has been sold, while sparkling wine sales in pubs, bars and restaurants were up 19 per cent to £97m.
“The gin revolution shows no sign of slowing,” said Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.
Read more: James Bond boosts UK gin exports
Previous research found that gin sales broke all records last year as 49 new gin distilleries opened across the UK, while shop and restaurant sales topped over £900m.
The almost 40 per cent rise in exports over the past five years has been put down to the James Bond and Downton Abbey effect, which created a rise in the popularity of all things British. There has also been a 41 per cent increase in the value of gin imported to the US, the British gin industry's largest export market, over the last five years.