There are now 315 distilleries in the UK and London alone now has 24 independent gin distilleries.
There is now an estimated 95 different gin brands on the UK market with 47m bottles of gin being bought in 2017, an increase of 7m bottles compared to 2016.
Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said: “Gin is the key driver behind the surge in new distillery openings in the UK in the last five years.
“New gin brands continue to pop up on our supermarket shelves, on a regular basis, as Brits show no sign of tiring of the quintessentially British spirit.”
The gin industry across the on and off trade in the UK in 2011 was worth £630m and has since nearly doubled to £1.2bn in the 12 months to September 2017.
Beale added: “It is welcome news that another 49 new distilleries opened in the UK last year brining new jobs to the British spirit industry and helping boost Britain’s export potential.”
British gin sales abroad have also caused a rise in UK food and drink exports with sales now worth more than beef and cereals.
The UK hit its largest ever gin exports in 2016, worth £474m making it the world’s seventh most valuable food and drink export.
