Bond leads British gin boom in the US

James Bond, Downton Abbey and Adele are all helping to boost exports of gin to the US, with their popularity helping to promote all things British among US consumers.

That’s according to a report by the WSTA, which revealed that £145 million worth of British gin was sold in the US in 2014 – a rise of 7% in value on the previous year. Over the last five years the volume of gin exported to the US has increased by 20%, while the category has seen a 41% increase to the value of gin exported.

The continued success of British spy franchise James Bond has helped boost this success, in what has been dubbed “the Bond effect”, similar to the previously coined “Mad Men effect”, whereby whisky benefitted from the popularity of the spirit among characters featured in the US TV series Mad Men.

The success of James Bond, Downton Abbey and Adele have all been credited as helping to lead a different renaissance of “a quintessentially British, internationally recognised spirit” – gin.

“British gin is proving it can excel where whisky has ploughed a furrow”, said Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA.This is a hugely exciting time for everyone involved in the UK gin industry. Our latest statistics have shown that Americans are drinking more of this Great British spirit than ever before. Gin has a strong, vibrant British heritage which is now being enjoyed globally. The Bond effect has helped to secure its renaissance and ensure its future as a quintessentially British, internationally recognised spirit”.

Globally, gin exports have risen by 37% in the past five years, with sales to 139 countries, worth £1.76 billion. Despite such growth, the WSTA said the duty imposed on spirits in the UK is stifling the category’s potential, with more than two thirds of gin distilled in the UK shipped overseas. UK spirits duty is still the fourth highest in the EU at £7.74 per litre, compared to £2.05 per litre in Germany.