The UK Distilling Census 2026 / 27 is open.
Ask what UK distilling looks like and you’ll get bottles sold, litres of pure alcohol, duty paid to the exchequer. Numbers that shift wildly depending on who’s counting, and none of them tell you what craft distilling is actually about.
Most of what makes this industry what it is goes unmeasured. The culture. The creative work. The community ties. The hundreds of small businesses that become value multipliers up and down the supply chain, regional anchors for jobs and bring in tourism to rural destinations. It’s time that contribution gets counted as seriously as the duty figures, and it’s the foundation for the support this industry deserves.
This is the second year of Spirit of the Nation. Last year, 138 distilleries told us exactly what that reality looks like (results here), and this year builds on it much further.
We invite all UK producers to get involved. Every entry is anonymised, and nothing commercially sensitive is asked. Multiple choice throughout, done in under 10 minutes by anyone who knows the business. Enter here
“You can’t build policy, argue for funding, or even map where we’re going next unless you start with data. Other countries have shown this clearly. In the US and Australia, national surveys have helped unlock regional campaigns, export support, skills programmes, and public investment.”
Olivier Ward, Founder of Everglow Spirits
The UK doesn’t have an industry-wide view of how distilling actually works. The data is duty receipts alongside case volume and value: figures that treat a one person gin brand and a multinational whisky producer as the same kind of business, when the reality on the ground could not be more different.
Even the top-line basics don’t agree. HMRC registrations, trade body estimates and ONS business counts are each counting something slightly different, and the totals rarely match.
Zoom out further and the picture thins out completely: none of these numbers say anything about what distilling looks like in a Highland glen versus a Cornish seaside town or what happens both up and down-stream of it.
What gets lost in that gap is the part of the industry duty receipts were never built to capture: the skilled jobs, the local supply chains, the visitor economy a distillery brings, or the creative work that goes into building great British brands.
That story has never been fully quantified, let alone gathered in one place. It needs to be, as harnessing the sector’s full value is fundamental to the long term health of our craft industry.
What having the data makes possible
In other countries, this kind of dataset is collected at state and national level, updated annually, is pan-spirits and free to access. Those regions use it to secure tourism and sustainability grants, shape export support, and make the case for industry-wide investment. UK producers deserve the same platform, and that’s why we’re running the census for a second year.
With that foundation, the industry gains something that’s never existed here before: comparable evidence across categories, regions and time, open data anyone can build on, audit or cite, and a shared baseline for policy, funding and growth conversations.
The first edition’s three briefs already point to where the levers are: skills training and support that fits how small teams actually operate, the economic anchor role distilleries play in the communities they sit in, and the halo effect tourism infrastructure brings to places that would have little else to draw people in.
This year pushes further, through questions centred on culture, creativity and community. Putting numbers behind that value matters more than telling a nice story about goodwill: it turns culture and community into data everyone can point to, and surfaces the economic and knock-on effects that trickle down specifically from craft distilling.
That kind of evidence carries real weight when making arguments for support, and for policy changes that would make running a UK distillery more frictionless.
“This isn’t about visibility for visibility’s sake or about measuring the industry’s nice-to-have elements. It’s about giving all producers the evidence they need to be heard, supported, and taken seriously – and to make the case for future growth, strategic planning, and long-term impact.”
Olivier Ward, Founder of Everglow Spirits
The 2025 Distilling Census results.
Fielded July to October 2025, the inaugural Spirit of the Nation census gathered 133 valid entries, covering around a quarter of active UK distilleries.
It showed a sector built on small, multi-skilled teams: most run with four or fewer full-time staff, carrying production, tours, compliance and sales under one roof.
It showed route-to-market access and input costs as the real barriers to growth, not people, skills or employment. And it showed distilleries acting as genuine local anchors: nearly nine in ten hire almost entirely within 50 miles, most buy from UK suppliers, and close to half collaborate regularly with other local businesses.
The full results and three themed briefs go deeper into what that means for distillers, associations and policymakers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 2026 the same survey as last year?
Not quite. There are core questions that carry over so the data stays comparable year on year, but 2026 adds a new set of questions on culture, creativity and community: the value this industry creates that’s never been properly measured before.
How long does it take?
Under 10 minutes for anyone who knows the day-to-day of the business. It’s multiple choice throughout.
Is my data anonymous?
Yes. Every entry is anonymised, and nothing commercially sensitive, turnover, margin, or supplier names, is asked.
When was the first census carried out?
Fieldwork took place between July and October 2025. The survey captured 138 submissions, with 133 valid entries after data cleaning.
The dataset reflected around 25% of active UK distilleries, weighted toward craft producers. Multinational producers were invited but didn’t take part, so the findings lean toward the craft and independent end of the market.
How do I cite the data?
Everglow Spirits (2025). Spirit of the Nation: UK Distilling Census.
The data is free to use so long as it’s attributed, with a link back to this page. When quoting figures, include the year and note that the sample is craft-weighted.