Import/export HS code 2208: Ethyl alcohol for drinks
Pure alcohol used in spirits, liqueurs, and other alcoholic drinks. Strength is less than 80% alcohol by volume
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 346,622,382 |
| United States | 301,823,408 |
| Netherlands | 264,784,360 |
| Italy | 241,359,714 |
| Ireland | 171,008,643 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 182,092,686 | 164,529,696 | -17,562,990 |
| United States | 153,159,340 | 148,664,068 | -4,495,272 |
| Netherlands | 131,823,020 | 132,961,340 | +1,138,320 |
| Italy | 135,475,214 | 105,884,500 | -29,590,714 |
| Ireland | 92,369,561 | 78,639,082 | -13,730,479 |
| Belgium | 52,612,859 | 66,527,145 | +13,914,286 |
| Mexico | 57,166,329 | 42,266,105 | -14,900,224 |
| Spain | 42,912,216 | 42,743,733 | -168,483 |
| Germany | 33,592,742 | 33,990,434 | +397,692 |
| Sweden | 33,967,166 | 20,495,935 | -13,471,231 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 364,022,127 |
| France | 311,893,904 |
| Italy | 178,307,064 |
| Netherlands | 166,042,622 |
| Ireland | 150,312,403 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 188,289,864 | 175,732,263 | -12,557,601 |
| France | 156,559,924 | 155,333,980 | -1,225,944 |
| Italy | 99,005,162 | 79,301,902 | -19,703,260 |
| Netherlands | 85,182,803 | 80,859,819 | -4,322,984 |
| Ireland | 76,372,185 | 73,940,218 | -2,431,967 |
| Mexico | 77,346,942 | 59,181,574 | -18,165,368 |
| Germany | 44,166,505 | 44,774,925 | +608,420 |
| United Kingdom | 48,268,685 | 35,988,110 | -12,280,575 |
| Sweden | 39,578,855 | 17,727,586 | -21,851,269 |
| Belgium | 23,858,803 | 31,281,410 | +7,422,607 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 95 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 64 |
| Inner London - East | 58 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 34 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 32 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 76 | 72 | -4 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 55 | 53 | -2 |
| Inner London - East | 45 | 41 | -4 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 30 | 28 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 25 | 24 | -1 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 21 | 21 | +0 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 19 | 16 | -3 |
| Outer London - South | 19 | 20 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 17 | 14 | -3 |
| Kent | 16 | 16 | +0 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 890,516,412 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 498,886,297 |
| Other | 250,338,723 |
| Air transport | 122,817,825 |
| Own propulsion (e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary) | 81,070,545 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 472,836,866 | 417,679,546 | -55,157,320 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 258,478,836 | 240,407,461 | -18,071,375 |
| Other | 209,428,073 | 40,910,650 | -168,517,423 |
| Air transport | 61,676,616 | 61,141,209 | -535,407 |
| Own propulsion (e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary) | 0 | 81,070,545 | +81,070,545 |
| Road transport | 75,345 | 73,369,334 | +73,293,989 |
| Rail transport | 0 | 100,102 | +100,102 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| 000 | 250,338,723 |
| London | 239,360,671 |
| Immingham Docks | 180,689,687 |
| 499 | 174,354,465 |
| Liverpool Docks | 155,180,652 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 000 | 209,428,073 | 40,910,650 | -168,517,423 |
| London | 121,380,676 | 117,979,995 | -3,400,681 |
| Immingham Docks | 91,934,187 | 88,755,500 | -3,178,687 |
| 499 | 7,836 | 174,346,629 | +174,338,793 |
| Liverpool Docks | 86,717,158 | 68,463,494 | -18,253,664 |
| Dover | 58,613,333 | 63,896,923 | +5,283,590 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 72,003,657 | 45,048,495 | -26,955,162 |
| Southampton | 23,159,380 | 69,291,938 | +46,132,558 |
| Hull | 47,280,055 | 42,966,630 | -4,313,425 |
| Coventry Airport | 47,643,100 | 42,307,706 | -5,335,394 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
|
Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
404 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
150 |
|
Manufacture of beverages
|
76 |
|
Food and beverage service activities
|
38 |
|
Office administrative, office support and other business support activities
|
24 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-05 | 176 |
| 2026-04 | 179 |
| 2026-03 | 172 |
| 2026-02 | 148 |
| 2026-01 | 157 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| DIAGEO SCOTLAND LIMITED | 125 |
| PERNOD RICARD UK LIMITED | 123 |
| GLEN GRANT LIMITED | 122 |
| KOREA FOODS COMPANY LIMITED | 118 |
| WILLIAM GRANT & SONS DISTILLERS LIMITED | 118 |
| AMATHUS DRINKS PLC | 116 |
| SAZERAC UK LIMITED | 115 |
| GALLO VINEYARDS INC | 115 |
| MARUSSIA BEVERAGES UK LIMITED | 114 |
| SCOTCH WHISKY AUCTIONS LIMITED | 113 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 263 |
| 0-1m | 154 |
| 54m+ | 122 |
| 15m-54m | 70 |
| Other | 38 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 2,431,756,086 |
| France | 865,954,091 |
| Singapore | 591,035,439 |
| India | 563,118,961 |
| Spain | 516,226,714 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,312,076,883 | 1,119,679,203 | -192,397,680 |
| France | 478,043,340 | 387,910,751 | -90,132,589 |
| Singapore | 307,021,245 | 284,014,194 | -23,007,051 |
| India | 270,852,339 | 292,266,622 | +21,414,283 |
| Spain | 261,254,506 | 254,972,208 | -6,282,298 |
| Germany | 257,142,341 | 252,752,625 | -4,389,716 |
| Turkey | 266,923,044 | 238,008,097 | -28,914,947 |
| Taiwan | 280,198,095 | 199,828,617 | -80,369,478 |
| Japan | 188,508,758 | 154,369,198 | -34,139,560 |
| China | 167,099,898 | 165,286,950 | -1,812,948 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 96,238,683 |
| Ireland | 55,148,236 |
| Germany | 51,745,395 |
| Italy | 27,003,946 |
| Spain | 21,584,188 |
Export origin countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 27,545,553 | 68,693,130 | +41,147,577 |
| Ireland | 32,554,253 | 22,593,983 | -9,960,270 |
| Germany | 34,228,566 | 17,516,829 | -16,711,737 |
| Italy | 19,717,816 | 7,286,130 | -12,431,686 |
| Spain | 15,033,833 | 6,550,355 | -8,483,478 |
| France | 9,034,596 | 3,469,545 | -5,565,051 |
| Romania | 6,126,364 | 2,723,326 | -3,403,038 |
| Denmark | 4,128,961 | 2,546,388 | -1,582,573 |
| Japan | 1,460,702 | 1,350,937 | -109,765 |
| Sweden | 1,591,137 | 554,770 | -1,036,367 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 11,300,735,590 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 613,010,319 |
| Road transport | 344,278,765 |
| Other | 290,597,214 |
| Air transport | 249,246,296 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,883,759,813 | 5,416,975,777 | -466,784,036 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 329,785,344 | 283,224,975 | -46,560,369 |
| Road transport | 190,983,754 | 153,295,011 | -37,688,743 |
| Other | 155,242,990 | 135,354,224 | -19,888,766 |
| Air transport | 146,377,600 | 102,868,696 | -43,508,904 |
| Rail transport | 306,818 | 84,281 | -222,537 |
| Own propulsion (e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary) | 76,676 | 207,301 | +130,625 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| ZLC | 10,598,777,552 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 357,319,229 |
| 000 | 290,597,214 |
| Middlesbrough | 269,736,492 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 263,498,403 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZLC | 5,493,814,656 | 5,104,962,896 | -388,851,760 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 197,545,399 | 159,773,830 | -37,771,569 |
| 000 | 155,242,990 | 135,354,224 | -19,888,766 |
| Middlesbrough | 153,481,190 | 116,255,302 | -37,225,888 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 128,609,676 | 134,888,727 | +6,279,051 |
| Southampton | 65,836,162 | 69,768,932 | +3,932,770 |
| London Gateway Port | 70,884,189 | 55,731,827 | -15,152,362 |
| Immingham Docks | 57,052,487 | 52,247,043 | -4,805,444 |
| Belfast Port | 71,995,045 | 34,286,937 | -37,708,108 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 61,125,344 | 40,213,905 | -20,911,439 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 2208
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Pure alcohol used in spirits, liqueurs, and other alcoholic drinks. Strength is less than 80% alcohol by volume