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 | 335,756,328 |
| United States | 285,991,900 |
| Netherlands | 252,154,254 |
| Italy | 248,492,448 |
| Ireland | 168,858,213 |
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 | 185,580,887 | 150,175,441 | -35,405,446 |
| United States | 153,456,304 | 132,535,596 | -20,920,708 |
| Netherlands | 129,114,643 | 123,039,611 | -6,075,032 |
| Italy | 140,086,525 | 108,405,923 | -31,680,602 |
| Ireland | 92,159,989 | 76,698,224 | -15,461,765 |
| Belgium | 51,499,830 | 59,748,918 | +8,249,088 |
| Mexico | 42,442,961 | 49,599,015 | +7,156,054 |
| Spain | 51,025,797 | 36,987,621 | -14,038,176 |
| Germany | 33,809,740 | 31,600,738 | -2,209,002 |
| Sweden | 29,200,192 | 24,283,643 | -4,916,549 |
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 | 345,843,290 |
| France | 299,941,116 |
| Italy | 180,375,040 |
| Netherlands | 164,426,084 |
| Ireland | 146,601,423 |
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 | 188,762,525 | 157,080,765 | -31,681,760 |
| France | 160,208,943 | 139,732,173 | -20,476,770 |
| Italy | 100,758,962 | 79,616,078 | -21,142,884 |
| Netherlands | 81,447,299 | 82,978,785 | +1,531,486 |
| Ireland | 79,193,415 | 67,408,008 | -11,785,407 |
| Mexico | 58,117,563 | 69,031,492 | +10,913,929 |
| Germany | 43,817,041 | 40,930,775 | -2,886,266 |
| United Kingdom | 46,345,975 | 37,933,771 | -8,412,204 |
| Sweden | 40,723,666 | 22,569,084 | -18,154,582 |
| Belgium | 22,500,265 | 27,603,514 | +5,103,249 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 94 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 67 |
| Inner London - East | 58 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 36 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 33 |
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 | 72 | 77 | +5 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 61 | 51 | -10 |
| Inner London - East | 43 | 44 | +1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 30 | 21 | -9 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 28 | 24 | -4 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 23 | 19 | -4 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 20 | 16 | -4 |
| Greater Manchester | 19 | 13 | -6 |
| Outer London - South | 18 | 18 | +0 |
| Essex | 16 | 13 | -3 |
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) | 882,654,044 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 484,279,890 |
| Other | 292,489,867 |
| Air transport | 120,791,417 |
| Own propulsion (e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary) | 68,047,117 |
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) | 475,406,226 | 407,247,818 | -68,158,408 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 258,660,257 | 225,619,633 | -33,040,624 |
| Other | 194,580,859 | 97,909,008 | -96,671,851 |
| Air transport | 62,776,664 | 58,014,753 | -4,761,911 |
| Own propulsion (e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary) | 0 | 68,047,117 | +68,047,117 |
| Road transport | 150,287 | 13,409,740 | +13,259,453 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| 000 | 292,489,867 |
| London | 228,543,545 |
| Immingham Docks | 176,189,553 |
| Liverpool Docks | 155,704,060 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 115,472,984 |
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 | 194,580,859 | 97,909,008 | -96,671,851 |
| London | 112,910,783 | 115,632,762 | +2,721,979 |
| Immingham Docks | 88,006,838 | 88,182,715 | +175,877 |
| Liverpool Docks | 89,030,076 | 66,673,984 | -22,356,092 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 55,603,221 | 59,869,763 | +4,266,542 |
| Dover | 60,617,086 | 52,688,881 | -7,928,205 |
| Hull | 61,846,367 | 38,718,026 | -23,128,341 |
| 499 | 123,874 | 93,165,968 | +93,042,094 |
| Coventry Airport | 48,950,671 | 41,984,909 | -6,965,762 |
| London Gateway Port | 59,277,844 | 19,505,464 | -39,772,380 |
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 | 393 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 150 |
| Manufacture of beverages | 70 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 38 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 25 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 157 |
| 2025-11 | 195 |
| 2025-10 | 201 |
| 2025-09 | 193 |
| 2025-08 | 166 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| DIAGEO SCOTLAND LIMITED | 120 |
| PERNOD RICARD UK LIMITED | 118 |
| GLEN GRANT LIMITED | 117 |
| KOREA FOODS COMPANY LIMITED | 113 |
| WILLIAM GRANT & SONS DISTILLERS LIMITED | 113 |
| AMATHUS DRINKS PLC | 111 |
| GALLO VINEYARDS INC | 111 |
| SAZERAC UK LIMITED | 110 |
| MARUSSIA BEVERAGES UK LIMITED | 109 |
| SCOTCH WHISKY AUCTIONS LIMITED | 108 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 249 |
| 0-1m | 162 |
| 54m+ | 116 |
| 15m-54m | 72 |
| Other | 39 |
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 | 2,325,554,562 |
| France | 856,573,294 |
| Singapore | 561,254,407 |
| India | 498,101,088 |
| Taiwan | 488,804,493 |
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 | 1,315,289,762 | 1,010,264,800 | -305,024,962 |
| France | 475,986,719 | 380,586,575 | -95,400,144 |
| Singapore | 324,187,975 | 237,066,432 | -87,121,543 |
| India | 254,766,650 | 243,334,438 | -11,432,212 |
| Taiwan | 301,938,717 | 186,865,776 | -115,072,941 |
| Germany | 254,322,339 | 228,543,354 | -25,778,985 |
| Spain | 253,348,309 | 222,012,941 | -31,335,368 |
| Turkey | 219,742,360 | 228,777,373 | +9,035,013 |
| Japan | 192,862,922 | 132,840,986 | -60,021,936 |
| China | 169,595,167 | 148,325,876 | -21,269,291 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 60,526,880 |
| Ireland | 58,718,102 |
| XI | 54,023,831 |
| Italy | 29,490,197 |
| Spain | 25,412,333 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 32,044,121 | 28,482,759 | -3,561,362 |
| Ireland | 29,975,260 | 28,742,842 | -1,232,418 |
| XI | 26,384,550 | 27,639,281 | +1,254,731 |
| Italy | 19,300,379 | 10,189,818 | -9,110,561 |
| Spain | 13,922,087 | 11,490,246 | -2,431,841 |
| France | 8,621,461 | 6,048,899 | -2,572,562 |
| Romania | 5,764,381 | 3,591,134 | -2,173,247 |
| Denmark | 4,089,635 | 3,165,257 | -924,378 |
| Japan | 1,250,562 | 1,234,609 | -15,953 |
| Sweden | 1,220,031 | 1,042,302 | -177,729 |
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) | 10,813,167,001 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 553,251,380 |
| Road transport | 310,736,793 |
| Other | 270,340,467 |
| Air transport | 253,390,221 |
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) | 5,910,796,798 | 4,902,370,203 | -1,008,426,595 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 305,461,878 | 247,789,502 | -57,672,376 |
| Road transport | 141,970,612 | 168,766,181 | +26,795,569 |
| Other | 146,416,829 | 123,923,638 | -22,493,191 |
| Air transport | 157,361,111 | 96,029,110 | -61,332,001 |
| Rail transport | 119,301 | 391,099 | +271,798 |
| 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 | 10,096,927,018 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 353,266,286 |
| 000 | 270,340,467 |
| Middlesbrough | 248,188,778 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 233,457,827 |
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 | 5,464,084,944 | 4,632,842,074 | -831,242,870 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 218,216,937 | 135,049,349 | -83,167,588 |
| 000 | 146,416,829 | 123,923,638 | -22,493,191 |
| Middlesbrough | 143,974,905 | 104,213,873 | -39,761,032 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 125,461,070 | 107,996,757 | -17,464,313 |
| Southampton | 61,885,308 | 69,067,272 | +7,181,964 |
| London Gateway Port | 72,491,899 | 55,171,093 | -17,320,806 |
| Belfast Port | 69,787,113 | 37,571,024 | -32,216,089 |
| Immingham Docks | 55,166,274 | 47,501,835 | -7,664,439 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 60,932,595 | 41,470,478 | -19,462,117 |
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