The young develop a thirst for gin
GIN may once have been the ruin of the nation but it is now the height of fashion.
A huge growth in sales has seen the spirit become trendy in bars and supermarkets.
The number of distilleries in Britain has doubled from 116 in 2010 to 233 at the end of 2015, 49 of which opened last year.
The boom is being driven by ‘boutique distilleries’ that make small batches of distinctive, premium gin. And although once derided as a staple of the golf club set or suburban dinner parties, gin is now a young person’s tipple, with more than half of drinkers under 35.
Waitrose says its gin sales rose 34 per cent this year and its three top-selling summer spirits were gins. It now sells 43 varieties, flavoured with a range of berries, herbs and spices.
‘When it comes to putting their own twist on a drink, more and more people are embracing gin,’ a spokesman said. ‘Premium varieties are particularly popular and, often handcrafted by small producers in niche distilleries, they each come with their own unique story to tell.’
Popular brands include Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin, which contains cubeb berries – a type of peppercorn from Indonesia – and coriander from Morocco, and Audemus Pink Pepper Gin, made in France by an Australian. Waitrose says the popularity of these new gins is part of a wider trend for more bespoke, rather than mass-market, drinks.
It points to premium bourbon from niche distilleries, whisky from Japan and cans of craft beer from small breweries.
Teetotallers are not missing out – the supermarket reports grow-