Filipinos are world’s biggest gin drinkers

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos rule the global gin market and among the top drinkers of rum products, according to market research firm International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR).

An average Filipino consumes 1.4 liters of gin every year, according to a report released by The Economist using data from UK-based IWSR. The global gin market sells about 440 million liters a year.

The US and Spain are the next biggest gin markets, but in terms of consumption per citizen, Slovakians and the Dutch are on the heels of the Filipinos with annual consumption of 1.2 liters and 0.8 liters per year, respectively.

Biggest gin market

Filipinos’ fondness for drinking gin, according to the report, was mainly due to the effective marketing and distribution efforts of the largest brand, Ginebra San Miguel.

“The Filipinos’ taste for gin can be attributed in part to good marketing and to the spirit’s long-established toe-hold in the local market.” Ginebra San Miguel has been part of the business group that has been in the Philippines since the 1830’s.

Ginebra San Miguel Inc. sold 19% more for its flagship Ginebra San Miguel brand in 2012, with domestic volume reaching 23.8 million cases.

The company reported P13.9 billion of alcoholic product sales in 2012 and P2.95 billion in the first quarter of 2013. Company officials cited the implementation of the sin tax measure for the 30% volume drop it experienced lately.

The Philippines has long been considered the world’s largest gin market, accounting for about half of global sales.

Rum and brandy drinks

The Philippines also ranked 3rd in rum consumption. An average Filipino consumes around 1.4 liters of rum every year.

Cubans lead the pack, consuming 4.9 liters each, while the Dominicans come in second, drinking 3.3 liters every year.

For the brandy market, majority of the growth was witnessed in India and the Philippines.

Andrew Tan-led Emperador Distillers Inc. further strengthen their position as the world’s no. 1 brandy company by volume when it recently acquired a Spanish brandy maker.

Emperador, one of the largest liquor companies in the Philippines, sold over 31 million cases of brandy in 2012.

Globally, vodka is the most popular alcoholic beverage with 4.44 billion liters consumed in 2012. Russia contributed almost half of the global consumption with 2 billion liters, equivalent to 14 liters per person. -Lean Santos, Rappler.com