The alcoholic drinks that are soaring in price the fastest amid cost of living crisis

Soaring energy bills and food prices continue to hit consumers across the country as the cost of living crisis shows no signs of abating.

There was more bad news on Wednesday when it was revealed UK inflation rose to a 41-year high of 11.1% in October, up from 10.1% in September.

The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks rocketed 16.2% last month, against the same period the previous year, with Britons witnessing large increases for everyday items.

As prices increase, the nation's favourite alcoholic drinks have also not been spared.

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Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed stouts and ales had the biggest increase in price with 7.8%, with fortified wine coming second with a 6.2% rise and spirits third with a jump of 4.7%.

This was followed by lager at 4.7% and wine with a 2.7% rise, according to the data.

As the price of booze surges, the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) is calling on chancellor Jeremy Hunt to freeze alcohol duties in his budget on Thursday.

The freeze, which was set to take effect in February, was cancelled as part of measures taken by Hunt last month to scrap tax cuts set by previous prime minister Liz Truss.

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In a letter to the Times Newspaper, the WSTA said if the alcohol duty freeze was reversed, this would add to inflation and may mean prices would have to go up, with thousands of jobs potentially lost.

WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said: “This could not have come at a worse time for the alcohol trade with bars and restaurants, producers and suppliers still reeling from pandemic lockdowns and having to manage ever-increasing costs and global supply chain issues.

“Cash-strapped consumers will be picking up the bill with prices of their favourite drinks set to soar next year.

“We are calling on Jeremy Hunt to throw us a lifeline, there is still time to bring back the duty freeze.

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The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has also called on Hunt to bring back a freeze on beer duty.

"We need the beer duty freeze reinstated to alleviate at least some of the cost pressure on our pubs and brewers and to avoid undermining the crucial alcohol duty reform measures," chief executive of the BBPA Emma McClarkin said in a statement on Saturday.

The BBPA said that soaring prices of everything from raw materials to fuel were forcing businesses to pass on the costs to their customers at the bar, with the average price of a pint up 8% on last year.

The industry body warned that failing to introduce the beer duty freeze would take the tax to its highest ever for the sector, adding that a freeze would channel about £360m pounds back into the industry.

Alcohol duty is the tax levied on a certain drink and has been cut or frozen in every budget since 2013.

Reversing a decision to freeze alcohol duty rates from February is worth around £600m a year.