UK liqueur sales top £1.3bn in 2019

Sales of liqueurs in the UK rose by 4% last year, with the nation shelling out as much as £1.3 billion on the sweet stuff.

Over the last year, 18 million bottles of cream liqueurs were sold, and 25 million bottles of non-cream liqueurs were sold – growth of 4%, as the category builds on its trendsetting 2018, according to figures published by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Non-cream liqueur sales in UK shops and supermarkets over the year to were also up, and are valued at roughly £250 million.

The trade body has attributed this to the growing number of pubs, bars and restaurants adding creative cocktails to their drinks menus. The equivalent of almost 10 million bottles of non-cream liqueurs were sold in pubs, bars and restaurants in 2018, the WSTA said.

Bitter herbal liqueurs and red-orange aperitifs such as Aperol, often served with Prosecco, proved particularly popular, as consumers copied cocktails they had consumed in pubs, bars and restaurants, at home.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, said: “Last year the WSTA highlighted that liqueurs have often been overlooked in the spirits category, but our sales data shows a renewed interest from UK consumers. The liqueur category covers an array of colours making liqueur drinks very instagrammable. We expect further growth in 2020 as Brits continue to experiment with new and exciting drinks choices and share their finds on social media.”

According to a YouGov ‘Family Food’ report published in September, the purchase and consumption of liqueurs and cocktails in the UK has increased threefold in 25 years.