Just The Tonic: Gin Enjoying Boom In Sales

UK-produced gin is experiencing a boom in sales both at home and abroad.

The quintessentially British gin and tonic is now so popular, dedicated bars are popping up all around the UK.

Customers at The London Gin Club bar in Soho described it as "very refreshing" and "my go-to drink".

Britain is now the biggest exporter of gin in the world - with international sales up 37% in the past five years.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association also estimates UK sales figures for the past two years at £150 million - an increase of 20%.

A total of 73 new distilleries were set up in the UK between 2010 and 2014 - with 56 set up in the past two years.

Sky News has visited Sipsmith Distillery which, in 2009, was the first new copper still to launch in London in over 200 years.

Co-founder Sam Galsworthy says: "I don't think we could have ever dreamt of seeing the growth and explosion of gin we've seen in the past five years."

"We sell in 35 different countries, exports is 25% of the business and it pretty much doubles every year."

The drink had its first boom in the 18th century, when it was blamed for a causing a crisis of drunkenness and debauchery.

The 30-year epidemic inspired the famous Hogarth painting Gin Lane.

Alcohol historian Jane Peyton says the industry has successfully shaken off the spirits reputation as "mother's ruin".

She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) says: "It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) 's had an image overhaul, a 360-degree turn on who drinks it, where they drink it and why they drink it."

"Nowadays there are laws regulating how gin can be made and what it contains. In the early days during the gin frenzy and the gin craze there were no laws as such so you could put anything into gin, poisons, toxics and it didn't taste the way it did now for sure."

Alcohol has re-emerged as a health issue with concerns about its impact on heart disease, stroke risk, blood pressure and cancers - but the popularity of gin seems to continue to increase.