Beverages Business Extracts Industry

U.K.’s CBD Drinks’ Market Shows It’s Got Spirit

Written by Peter McCusker

Britain’s thirst for gin – and the boom in CBD consumer products – is inevitably leading to the appearance of cannabis in the country’s most popular spirit. 

Muhu gin has been launched by young entrepreneur Sally Wynter and features CBD imported from Canada. Speaking to industry website thedrinksbusiness Ms Wynter said;  “It’s taken a huge amount of trial and error, but after numerous attempts I finally have the perfect concoction – a delicious floral gin with the excitement of added CBD.”

She went on to say that she has been adding CBD to her cocktails for some time, saying it makes her feel ‘more relaxed mentally, but also in my body and muscles’. And, after having a bit too much Muhu gin some evenings, she also finds CBD has additional benefits: “I even use CBD capsules the next morning to take the edge off the hangover,” she added.

Made in the Midlands, with CBD extracted from organic hemp and free of added sugars and sweeteners, Muhu is due to go on sale in the U.K. shortly,  priced at £34.99 for a 50cl bottle. The rapid rise in the popularity of gin, has seen an explosion in the number and varieties of gin and it has now overtaken whisky as the U.K.’s preferred spirit.


The U.K.’s new gin craze all started with the launch of Bombay Sapphire and other flavored gins, says Matt Woodhams, a Director at drinks’ analysts Kantar Consulting. “The beauty of the bottle, and the imagery and visual appeal around Bombay Sapphire, plus the marketing activation, gave it premium back bar appeal,” he explained.

Earlier this year English company Hin became only the fourth distillery in the world to produce a hemp-infused gin, reports The Morning Advertiser. In Scotland married couple Rebecca and Calum Napier say the created their CBD-infused gin in an attempt to the country’s ‘tackle binge-drinking culture’. Their Canna’B spirit is distilled in Royal Deeside.

Colloquially known as ‘mother’s ruin’, gin was extremely popular back in the 1700s when were around 7,000 gin shops in London alone. By 1743, England was consuming 10 liters of gin per person annually, but the 1751  Gin Act, a greater demand for tea and some bad harvests defaulted the craze.

Now almost every town and city in the country has its own gin bar and gin distilleries are popping up all over the country. This has prompted a rise in the demand for juniper berries and and expect to see more products coming to market infused with CBD, too.

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About the author

Peter McCusker

Peter McCusker is an experienced news and business editor, who believes it’s time to fully embrace the multiple, proven, medical benefits of the cannabis plant.