The gin boom is over in the UK with Gordon’s Bombay and Tanqueray taking losses

A few years ago Britain was on a gin boom, with distilleries opening up all over the country and infusing the drink with many products from cheese to marshmallows.

From 2015 to 2020, the gin boom – dubbed the ‘ginaissance’ – saw the total number of UK distilleries more than double, from 184 to at least 441.

But it seems that the wave of “mother ruin” is really over, with the biggest brands taking massive losses over the past year.

Gordon’s – one of the country’s most popular gins – lost £72.8 million according to this year’s Britain’s Biggest Alcohol Brands data seen by the trade magazine The Grocer.

This is the largest decline of any alcohol brand – with sales down 20.5 percent.

Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire and Whitley Neil also suffered huge losses with 7.7 million fewer liters going through the box office, with a loss of £33.9 million.

It’s because sales of Britain’s top 100 best-selling alcohol brands have fallen by more than £1.5 billion over the past year as the country gives up its favorite drinks to save money.

However, both Gordon’s and Tanqueray have seen success in their non-alcoholic versions.

‘The Gordon’s 0.0 SKUs [stock keeping unit] continue to deliver for the brand, with Gordon’s proud majority of shares in the non-alcoholic spirits segment,” Hazan Aydin, head of Gordon’s, told the trade journal.

From 2015 to 2020, the gin boom – dubbed the ‘ginaissance’ – saw the total number of distilleries in the UK more than double, from 184 to at least 441, but seems to have come to an end (Boris Johnson, then mayor of London, was seen visiting a gin distillery in 2015)

A spokesperson for Whitley Neil added that customers are “more mindful than ever” with their alcohol consumption.

However, smaller and boutique gin brands seem to have caught the wave.

Masons of Yorkshire seems to buck this trend.

Business has been on the up since Covid – a 29 percent increase in sales in 2020 versus 2022.

Co-founder Karl Mason told FEMAIL: ‘The “budget” gin brands are feeling the heat while the premium brands continue to grow’

‘Supermarkets invest in A brands.’

Some of Britain’s best-loved alcohol brands have reported significant sales declines

“The brands that follow the fad suffer, we’ve stood our ground and stayed true to our quality roots.”

Once considered a drink for old aunts, the spirit, traditionally flavored with juniper, has become popular with younger drinkers. In 2017, the drink was added to the official basket of goods used by the Office of National Statistics to calculate inflation.

Inexpensive and often distilled in bathtubs, in 18th century London gin was sold by barbers, grocers and even sold at market stalls.

The impact was so great that it was demonized as “mother ruin.”

The drink fell out of fashion until the 1970s, when G&T became the drink of choice for dinner parties.

However, vodka has benefited from a move by drinkers to flavored versions and a growing trend to make cocktails at home.

Lauren Priestley, head of category development at Diageo — owner of both Gordon’s and Smirnoff — attributed much of vodka’s success to the cocktail trend, leading to “an increased share of spirits in the hospitality and hospitality industry.”