Just the tonic! Gin tops poll of nation's favourite spirits

It’s official – gin is our favourite tipple, after it topped a poll of the nation’s favourite spirits.

According to the annual poll by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), 29% of consumers named gin their favourite spirit, ahead of whisky (25%) and vodka (23%), putting it in top place after being placed third last year.

Britons bought a record 47 million bottles of gin over the last year, up by seven million on 2016. The equivalent of more than 8.8 million bottles were sold in pubs, bars and restaurants to a value of £729 million in the 12 months to September, while 38.7 million were sold in shops and supermarkets.

Sales doubled in value in the last six years to £1.2 billion, up from £630 million in 2011, WSTA’s market report figures show. And in the 12 weeks up to September, gin sales were up 26% by volume in shops and supermarkets and up 34% by value compared to the same time last year.

HMRC figures early in the year showed that gin exports were outperforming those of British beef and soft drinks. It also found that a total of 45 new distilleries opened in the UK during 2016, taking the total to an estimated 273 – more than double 2012’s 128.

Gin’s popularity has seen producers offering up an increasing range of locally-sourced botanicals, such as seaweed, rhubarb and Christmas gins with frankincense and myrrh.

MORE: Christmas is cancelled in the town where Jesus grew up – and Donald Trump is blamed
MORE: The six best (and most bonkers) new conspiracy theories of 2017

WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said: “The latest WSTA market report is showing yet another sparkling result for gin sales in the UK.”

“The British public show no signs of growing tired of trying new gins with well over 100 brands now available on the UK market. It comes as no surprise that gin has climbed to the top of a poll of most popular spirit drinks.”

(Top picture: PA)