Gin proves to be a growing tonic for Irish distillers with buoyant sales

THE resurgence of cocktail culture is driving a new-found love for gin.

Sales of the bitter-sweet spirit made from juniper berries grew by almost a third (31.6pc) last year and gin now ranks fourth on the list of Ireland’s favourite spirits.

Although vodka remains the most popular tipple for drinkers of spirits in Ireland, followed by Irish whiskey and rum, there has been a remarkable surge in the popularity of gin, both of Irish and international brands, according to the IBEC affiliate The Irish Spirits Association (ISA).

So much is the growing demand for gin that the association has set up an Irish Gin working group to study the phenomenon, despite a 19.2pc reduction in the overall consumption of all spirits over the past decade.

The renaissance of gin as a trendy drink was noted by the US-based Beverage Information and Insights Group earlier this year.

In a report on trends driving gin sales in 2017, ‘Beverage Dynamics’ magazine credited the “mixology movement” as a boon for gin.

“With more gin cocktails to select from, consumers are starting to find that gin is more approachable,” Tanqueray gin brand manager Ari Anderman told the magazine.

While American millennials are largely credited with driving the demand for craft spirits like premium gin brands, in Ireland it’s women between the ages of 35 and 44 and men between 25 and 34 who represent the largest cohort of drinkers of spirits.