A growing thirst for gin among UK consumers boosted annual sales at the drinks firm Diageo, which benefited from the launch of a pink version of the spirit.
The international drinks group said total UK sales rose 8% in the year to the end of June, thanks to a double-digit rise in sales of Tanqueray and Gordon’s, which introduced a pink gin last summer.
Gin sales helped to offset the waning popularity of vodka, with sales of Smirnoff down 2%. Sales at the group’s Guinness business were also strong in the UK, up 8%, driven partly by its new Hop House 13 lager, which uses the same yeast as the Irish stout.
Diageo said gin was the fastest-growing category across western Europe, with sales up 22%.
Gordon’s launched its pink gin last summer, capitalising on theInstagram-inspired popularity of colourful drinks and cocktails. The trend has been linked to a penchant for kitsch among millennials, with unicorns and flamingos appearing on everything from pool inflatables to biscuits this summer.
The brand’s pink gin, which is flavoured with raspberry, strawberry and redcurrant, competes with drinks such as Burleighs’ version containing preserved Japanese cherry blossom, pink grapefruit, hibiscus and rose flowers, and a Beefeater tipple flavoured with strawberries, which launched in the UK this spring.
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