Gin distilleries double as part of spirit ‘renaissance’

The growing popularity of artisan gin has seen the number of distilleries in the UK double in the past five years, according to a new report.

British distilleries have increased in number by a fifth and now stand at 130, double the number in 2012, said accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. The value of gin sales has increased significantly, exceeding £1billion in 2016 and is expected to rise to £1.37 billion by 2020 as gin continues to undergo a “renaissance”.

James Simmonds, of UHY Hacker Young, said: “Five years ago, artisan gin was a relatively unknown product, but now it’s very common to see.”