Ginnovation: UK Gin Sales Will Outstrip Scotch Whisky by 2020 – But at Least It Will Be Scottish Gi
Ginnovation: UK Gin Sales Will Outstrip Scotch Whisky by 2020 –
But at Least It Will Be Scottish Gin
The relentless growth of gin is so strong that by 2020 the sales of gin will be greater than that of our national pride and joy Scotch. Luckily it is almost all made in Scotland and yes as usual I am getting my information from one of those surveys. This time it is those good people at Euromonitor.
As you will know from one of my previous blogs the production of UK gin is mostly based in Scotland with some 70% of all gin being made north of the border. But the good news for gin is poorer news for Scotch in which home consumption by Scots is forecast to drop below £1.2bn for the first time in a long while.
Trendy Gin
And more is expected as 73 distilleries were opened between 2010-14 and more expected in the near future as micro-distilleries proliferate. The urge to experiment has seen great ginnovation, that’s innovation in gin (I’ve just coined the term myself) and experimentation with botanicals has resulted in growth in sales and greater public awareness of the great taste of good gin. Now gin used to be called ’Granny’s Ruin,’ when it was nothing but cheap and almost nasty, but as a drink it has come in from the cold with a swathe of new products on the market – some of which believe me are beyond good- almost magical. And of course the best of the best are made in Scotland.
Image Problems
Now it is Scotch that has an image problem as blended Scotch has become the target for mass discounts and price wars in the supermarkets. Gin was going the same way, but the distillers has concentrated on quality and taste and not on price and the result has been a boom in quality gins and botanicals and high end mixers. And of course gin is a lot faster to make than whisky as there is relatively little laying down period - it is weeks not years and so it is a tempting product to make. The continued rise of the UK and Scottish fashion for cocktail has seen gin being “it” recently.
Don’t Panic!
Whisky drinkers, however, shouldn’t panic as the drink's growing popularity is mostly in the UK and gin sales are still dwarfed by whisky's sales overseas and only about 6% of Scotch is actually drunk in the UK. Now if you want to support either the emerging gin industry or Scotch that stalwart of Scottish life then you should also think about the kind of receptacle that you place the lovely liquids in. The Scottish Thistle range is a quality buy and fit for all occasions. Have a browse and see what tickles your fancy.
