Charlotte Nichols
Labour MP for Warrington North and Chair of the APPG for Pubs
Pubs are the beating heart of many communities across Britain.
They are where friendships are forged, celebrations are held, and local life comes together.
But what might surprise many is that today, spirits – not just beer – are critical to keeping pubs alive, now accounting for 38 per cent of on-trade profits.
And yet, pubs and bars across our country are facing unprecedented challenges.
It is a sobering fact that a pub closes every single day in Great Britain. Thousands of jobs in the hospitality sector have already been lost. These closures are not just about economics – they strike at the heart of our communities.
If we want pubs to survive and thrive, we must support the industries that sustain them – chief among them, our world-leading UK spirits sector.
Right now, the alcohol duty regime falls disproportionately unfairly on spirits, penalising one of our most successful homegrown industries.
That cannot continue. Pubs cannot survive on beer alone.
Drinking habits are evolving as Brits moderate their alcohol intake, and spirits are increasingly central to those choices.
A third of consumers opt for a spirits-based serve over a pint. And importantly, a single measure of Scotch Whisky contains half the units of alcohol and less than half the calories of a pint of beer – helping people make more responsible decisions about how they drink.
This is not just about consumer choice though. It is about national pride and economic strength. The UK – Scotland in particular – has a proud tradition of producing world-class spirits.
Scotland alone is responsible for 70 per cent of UK spirits production, with Scotch Whisky standing tall as the world’s premier globally traded spirit: iconic, historic, and celebrated around the globe.
Beer will always be synonymous with the pub. But if we want our pubs to remain the heart of
British life, we must also embrace and support the role of spirits.
So, next time you step into your local, consider ordering a spirits-based serve. In doing so you’ll be supporting our iconic spirits industry, and helping secure the future of pubs and bars across the country.
Featured image via Kyle J Little / Shutterstock.
