UK Vodka, Gin and RTDs Market Report 2026
RTDs offer a way for on-trade venues to demonstrate their affordability, much needed amidst the continuing income squeeze.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for vodka, gin and RTDs
- Opportunities
- Uniqueness is key to premiumisation
- Align with at-home socialising
- Boost on-trade sales with local brands and RTDs
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THE MARKET
- Snapshot – market size and forecast
- Consumers’ financial health is key for vodka, gin and RTDs
- Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-26
- Various factors drive up spirits prices in 2025-26
- Pub closures continue in 2025; further closures expected for 2026
- Slowdown in growth of 20-34s over 2025-30 will curb category growth
- Graph 2: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2020-25 and 2025-30
- Growing alcohol moderation is both a threat and an opportunity
- Graph 3: alcohol reduction and non-usage, 2022-25
- Market size and forecast of vodka, gin and RTDs
- Graph 4: market size and forecast for total value sales of vodka, gin and RTDs, 2019-30
- Value and volume sales decline over 2019-25
- Ageing population and increased alcohol moderation to weaken volume sales over 2025-30
- On-trade loses sales as consumer spending remains cautious
- Graph 5: value sales of vodka, gin and RTDs, by on- and off-trade, 2023-25
- Vodka leads on values but not volumes; RTDs gain market share in 2023-25
- Graph 6: total value sales of vodka, gin and RTDs, by segment, 2023-25
- Smirnoff leads the vodka/gin segment but loses sales in 2025
- Graph 7: retail value sales of vodka/gin by top five brands and own-label, 2022/23-2024/25
- Gordon’s sales fall faster than the overall gin segment in 2025
- Gordon’s leads on value, WKD on volume in fragmented RTDs retail market
- Graph 8: retail value sales of RTD alcoholic drinks, by top five brands and own-label, 2022/23-2024/25
- Shake-up in the top ten RTD brands amid growing competition
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THE CONSUMER
- Six in ten adults drink vodka or gin
- Vodka/gin are typically drunk in mixed serves, but many people are not very adventurous
- Graph 9: drinking of different serves of vodka and gin, 2025
- Younger and wealthier people lead on vodka/gin usage
- Two in five adults drink RTDs
- Graph 10: usage of premixed alcoholic drinks, by format, 2025
- Under-35s and the financially better-off are the key RTDs drinkers
- Focus on unique ingredients and sourcing to drive trading up in vodka/gin
- Many options to drive trading up in vodka/gin
- Graph 11: attributes deemed worth paying more for in vodka/gin in retail, 2025
- Differentiation is key to success in vodka/gin
- Look beyond on-pack references to highlight unique ingredients
- Put the spotlight on suppliers to win over consumers
- Highlight local vodka/gin brands in store
- Target at-home social occasions in 2026
- At-home gatherings support purchase of vodka/gin/RTDs, particularly among younger adults
- At-home social occasions provide good opportunities for brands, but own-label poses strong competition
- Engage with consumers online to drive purchase for at-home socialising
- Help hosts make their drinks look good
- Stock local brands and RTD formats to drive on-trade sales
- Stocking local brands boosts venues’ appeal for many
- Highlight local brands to encourage visits as consumer finances remain constrained
- Many are open to on-trade RTDs , but expect low prices
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Limited-edition and celebrity-backed launches continue in 2025
- Low-/no-alcohol gin, vodka and RTDs see further launches in 2025
- Citrus and other fruits are among key flavour trends in vodka/gin
- Fruit flavours remain popular in RTDs NPD; spice flavours gain momentum
- Brands explore a wide variety of bases for premixed cocktails in 2025
- Competition heats up further in RTDs
- Advertising spend falls in 2025; Craft Gin Club replaces Diageo as the leading advertiser
- Pernod Ricard triples its advertising spend in 2025
- Outdoor marketing helps challenger RTDs brands enter the mainstream
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APPENDIX
- Market definition
- The market
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size and forecast for vodka, gin and RTDs – volumes
- Graph 12: market size and forecast for total volume sales of vodka, gin and RTDs, 2019-30
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – values
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – volumes
- Market factors – retail price inflation for wine and spirits
- Graph 13: RPI inflation for wine & spirits and all-items, 2021-25
- Market segmentation and channels to market – values
- Market segmentation and channels to market – volumes
- Vodka/gin retail market share – value sales – brands
- Vodka/gin retail market share – volume sales – brand owners
- Vodka/gin retail market share – value sales – brand owners
- Vodka/gin retail market share – volume sales – brand owners
- RTDs retail market share – value sales – brands
- RTDs retail market share – volume sales – brands
- RTDs retail market share – value sales – brand owners
- RTDs retail market share – volume sales – brands
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology – EMEA
- UK generation groups
- Advertising spend on vodka, gin and RTDs
- Graph 14: above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising on vodka, gin and RTDs, 2021-25
- Other data source methodologies
- Mintel Spark
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Abbreviations
"Targeting at-home social occasions is key to driving purchase of vodka, gin, and RTDs in 2026. Highlighting uniqueness is crucial to stand out and add value."
Alice Baker, Food and Drink Analyst
RTDs offer a way for on-trade venues to demonstrate their affordability, much needed amidst the continuing income squeeze. Some 67% of category drinkers/buyers are open to drinking pre-mixed cocktails in a pub/bar/restaurant.
Ongoing pressure on household incomes and weak consumer confidence eroded volume sales of vodka/gin in 2025. RTDs grew retail volume sales rapidly in 2025, benefiting from people cutting back on out-of-home socializing, also helped by strong NPD activity and warm summer weather.
Targeting at-home social occasions remains important for brands in 2026 given weak real income growth. This represents a sizeable occasion: 57% of category drinkers/buyers bought vodka, gin or RTDs for an at-home gathering in the second half of 2025 .
Alcohol moderation is set to grow over 2025-30 as consumers’ health focus strengthens. Further innovation in low-/no-alcohol versions therefore remains crucial to support category volume sales.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- The impact of the income squeeze on value and volume sales of vodka, gin and RTDs in the on- and off-trade
- Frequency of drinking vodka/gin and drinking of different serves of vodka/gin, including neat and in cocktails
- Frequency of drinking RTDs and usage of RTDs by packaging format
- Demographic patterns in vodka/gin and RTDs usage
- Key factors deemed worth paying more for in vodka/gin, including locally sourced ingredients and an independent brand
- Attitudes towards vodka, gin and RTDs in the on-trade, including interest in locally-sourced products and views of premixed vs freshly-made cocktails
- Trends in launch activity, and opportunities for further innovation
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
- Vodka is a clear, colourless, almost odourless spirit made from the distillation of potatoes, corn, rye, wheat, sugar beet molasses or other agricultural matter. European Union legislation carried over into UK domestic legislation requires that vodka must have a minimum ABV of 37.5%. Flavoured vodkas are included in this Report.
- Gin predominantly derives its flavour from juniper berries and falls into two distinct categories: distilled gin and compound gin.
- RTDs or ready-to-drink beverages is a trade term used to describe any drink featuring an alcoholic drink and a mixer sold pre-mixed. The report covers all types of premixed alcoholic drinks, not only those made with vodka/gin but also ones with dark spirits such as whisky, or with other alcoholic drinks such as wine, as a base. Mintel uses the terms RTDs and pre-mixed drinks interchangeably in this Report.
The market size includes both on-trade and off-trade sales. Low/non-alcoholic versions of vodka/gin and RTDs are included in the total, but these make up only a very small part of the market.
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