Flavoured gin more popular with younger drinkers
More than half of UK drinkers aged between 18 and 34 choose flavoured gin over classic juniper-led bottlings, according to a new survey.
Stirling-based Boë Gin surveyed 2,000 people across the UK about their gin-drinking habits. Of those polled, 38% said they usually drink flavoured expressions, rising to 54% in drinkers aged between 18 and 34. However, the survey found that 45% of UK drinkers across all age groups would still choose a classic gin over a flavoured bottling. Boë Gin also found that the North East of England is home to the highest percentage of gin drinkers, with 77.5% of those polled from the region saying they drink gin. As well as investigating the popularity of flavoured gins, the survey polled drinkers on their mixer preferences and found that the popularity of gin and lemonade is on the rise. More than half (53%) of gin drinkers aged between 18 and 34 said they prefer lemonade as a mixer and 26% of respondents under the age of 34 said they opted for tonic water. Of those who prefer flavoured gins, lemonade proved to be the most popular choice of mixer, with 52% choosing it to mix with their flavoured gin. Northern Ireland and North East England are home to the highest percentage of gin and lemonade drinkers, 45% and 42% respectively, while London and South East England is where gin and tonic remains the most popular with 55% of drinkers choosing tonic water as a mixer. Andrew Richardson, director of Boë Gin, said: “Only a few years ago, tonic was the assumed mixer to enjoy with gin whether you were offering someone a drink at home or ordering at a bar. Today, we are starting to create gins to mix better with lemonade than tonic, such has been the huge increase in demand for a G&L. “The citrus in premium lemonade blends really nicely with flavoured gins, which continue to grow in popularity, and we’ve seen our Violet and new Apple & Lime flavour become firm favourites with G&L drinkers. It certainly doesn’t spell the end of the G&T, but the G&L’s are in town right now and it looks like they are here to stay.”
