Introduction:

The white spirits category is all about versatility and trying to attract new, younger drinkers as consumers seek out more unusual brands or concoctions to form a part of their increasing drinks repertoire and fashionable lifestyle. Consumers continue to trade up when it comes to drinks and the relative fall in retail prices puts more premium products within the reach of more consumers, enabling them to make lifestyle statements in terms of the type of drink they choose. While spirit sales are still performing relatively well on a domestic basis, the UK spirits industry remains one of the UK's top five export earners.

Introduction:

The white spirits category is all about versatility and trying to attract new, younger drinkers as consumers seek out more unusual brands or concoctions to form a part of their increasing drinks repertoire and fashionable lifestyle. Consumers continue to trade up when it comes to drinks and the relative fall in retail prices puts more premium products within the reach of more consumers, enabling them to make lifestyle statements in terms of the type of drink they choose. While spirit sales are still performing relatively well on a domestic basis, the UK spirits industry remains one of the UK's top five export earners.

This report covers white spirits sold in the UK for consumption both in and out of home. Mintel last examined the market in March 2001.

For this report, Mintel proposes the hypothesis that: "despite the ongoing price wars among the grocery multiples, the advent of a premium white spirits category means that the value of the market is likely to be sustained in the foreseeable future."

Answering all the key industry questions, including:

The white spirits category was worth an estimated £2.52 billion in 2002 and is expanding in terms both volume and value - Are consumers increasingly willing to experiment with white spirit drinks such as vodka?

Drinks such as gin, white rum and tequila all have been enjoying success in the style bars of UK's main cities - Will the growing popularity of the cocktails be crucial to the successful performance of the white spirits category?

Are consumers making lifestyle statements in terms of the type of drink they choose?

Report coverage:

This report offers you new insight into:

- Market sizes and trends

- Market drivers

- Supply structures

- Market shares

- Product distribution

- Advertising and promotion

- Consumer attitudes and purchasing trends

- Future trends

- Five year sales forecasts

Other related reports include:

- Wine, Market Intelligence - UK Report, January 2003

- Low-alcohol and Alcohol-free Drinks - UK Report, January 2003

- Cider, Market Intelligence - UK Report, October 2002

- Alcoholic Mixables, Market Intelligence - UK Report, July 2002

- Liqueurs, Market Intelligence - UK Report, June 2002

- Ales and Stouts, Market Intelligence - UK Report, May 2002

- Champagne, Market Intelligence - UK Report, March 2002

- Dark Spirits, Market Intelligence - UK Report, April 2001

- Fortified Wine, Market Intelligence - UK Report, December 2000

- Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages, Market Intelligence - UK Report, October 2001

- Draught Lager, Market Intelligence - UK Report, March 2000

- Bottled Lager, Market Intelligence - UK Report, February 2000

- Canned Lager, Market Intelligence - UK Report, January 2000

and the forthcoming:

- Dark Spirits, Market Intelligence - UK Report, April 2003

- Lager, Market Intelligence - UK Report, June 2003.

Definitions

White spirits are defined as those that are colourless. The most common of these are vodka, gin and white rum. Premium spirits are defined as those with an ABV of 40% or stronger. Strictly speaking, rum is a single drink category, and the difference between white, golden and dark rum is usually achieved by the addition of a colouring agent (mainly caramel), and no distinction is made in official statistics. Both the trade and consumers have, however, traditionally regarded white and dark rum as separate products. Golden rums have, again by tradition, been regarded as a sub-sector of the dark rum market by the trade, and Mintel has continued to follow this tradition. The distinction is becoming more questionable as some extremely pale golden rums are now available. Such products inevitably do have some effect on the white rum market and so are considered in the report, although they are excluded from the statistics.

Simple flavoured versions of the base spirits, such as sloe gin and flavoured vodkas, are included in the report, but more complex blends, using several ingredients, are excluded. These are covered in Mintel's Liqueurs, Market Intelligence - UK Report, June 2002 and Alcoholic RTDs, Market Intelligence - UK Report, April 2000, as appropriate. All RTD versions, that is spirits sold packaged in a ready-to-drink (RTD) form, such as Smirnoff's Moscow Mule and Bacardi Breezer, are excluded from this report, having been covered in Alcoholic RTDs, Market Intelligence - UK Report, April 2000.

This report also covers a very wide range of other white spirits, sales of which are somewhat smaller. These include the anise-based drinks, such as the French pastis and Greek ouzo, as well as tequila and mescal, absinthe, aguardiente, aquavit, arrack, cachaca, eau de vie, grappa, kirsch, schnapps and slivovitz.