Gin boom continues: Top ten spirit sectors
Top ten spirit sectors  
  £m % change
Vodka   765.3 -4.8%
Blended Whisky   805.3 4.5%
Gin   528.8 34.6%
Brandy   219.4 1.1%
Malt Whisky   216.6 3.6%
Cream Liqueurs   236.3 13.8%
Non Cream Liqueurs   220.4 14.4%
Speciality   172.8 -0.2%
Imported Whiskey   190.1 13.1%
White Rum   145.4 1.1%
     
Source: Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 17 June 18    
     
Brands vs Own Label  
  £m % change
Branded 3007.2 6.2
Own Label 991.1 9

Spirits are in fine form: the category has outgrown every other type of booze, to the tune of an extra £257.5m in added value, bringing the sector’s total worth to £3,998.3m. 

This was driven by an increase in shoppers (64% of households now buy spirits) tempted by new flavours, formats and lower-alcohol options, says Kantar Worldpanel analyst Laura Christen.

Asda grew value sales of spirits 10.1% year on year, more than any other multiple retailer this year. Sainsbury’s followed close behind with a 9% increase. 

Aldi and Lidl grew spirits sales by 22.7% and 29.7% respectively thanks to their expanding spirits ranges. At the other end of the own-label spectrum, M&S grew its sales by a stonking 52.7%. Brands vs own label

Source: Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 17 June 2018

Gordon's alive: top ten spirit brands
Top ten spirit brands  
Source: Nielsen     
   £m % change
Smirnoff 449.7 1.0
Gordons 282.4 50.7
The Famous Grouse 216.1 2.5
Jack Daniels 215.3 6.2
Bells 140.6 -3.4
GLen's 136.4 -7.4
Russian Standard 131.1 0.6
Baileys 124.3 15.6
Captain Morgan 114.6 5.2
Bacardi 110.4 -2.8

Forget craft, Diageo-owned Gordon’s has racked up the gain of the year, adding £95m to its value and overtaking Jack Daniel’s and The Famous Grouse to become the UK’s second-favourite spirits brand. An unprecedented win for the spirits giant, which also owns the number one, Smirnoff.

More good news for Diageo: Captain Morgan’s upward trajectory has continued since it overtook Bacardi to become the UK’s favourite rum earlier this year, boosted by Brits’ burgeoning love of golden rums. Bacardi is fighting back with its new Anejo Cuatro sipping rum, and a new ginger-flavoured SKU, which hit shelves this month. 

Imported whiskeys are flying off the shelves: Jack Daniel’s has added £10.4m in value, while smaller players such as Jim Beam (up £7.9m), Jameson (£6.5m) and Bulleit (up £231k) are steadily growing their presence. 

Premiumisation doesn’t mean Brits have totally lost their love of own-label grog. Value sales of supermarket spirits are up a cool £30.4m (5.4%) to £599m, accounting for an extra 2,278,431 units sold.

Source: Nielsen 52 w/e 14 July 2018