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 | 362,878,286 |
| United States | 316,304,639 |
| Netherlands | 275,964,289 |
| Italy | 256,584,085 |
| Ireland | 176,816,231 |
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 | 185,931,170 | 176,947,116 | -8,984,054 |
| United States | 159,801,875 | 156,502,764 | -3,299,111 |
| Netherlands | 131,402,556 | 144,561,733 | +13,159,177 |
| Italy | 136,536,054 | 120,048,031 | -16,488,023 |
| Ireland | 94,103,027 | 82,713,204 | -11,389,823 |
| Belgium | 51,158,811 | 72,562,652 | +21,403,841 |
| Mexico | 50,048,914 | 52,932,245 | +2,883,331 |
| Spain | 45,630,702 | 46,806,681 | +1,175,979 |
| Germany | 33,053,749 | 37,292,728 | +4,238,979 |
| Sweden | 33,844,034 | 22,899,787 | -10,944,247 |
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 | 380,927,642 |
| France | 326,735,281 |
| Italy | 188,884,195 |
| Netherlands | 172,110,542 |
| Ireland | 156,747,683 |
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 | 194,818,681 | 186,108,961 | -8,709,720 |
| France | 159,620,440 | 167,114,841 | +7,494,401 |
| Italy | 99,042,819 | 89,841,376 | -9,201,443 |
| Netherlands | 83,533,674 | 88,576,868 | +5,043,194 |
| Ireland | 78,869,433 | 77,878,250 | -991,183 |
| Mexico | 69,633,161 | 71,454,895 | +1,821,734 |
| Germany | 43,515,539 | 48,942,509 | +5,426,970 |
| United Kingdom | 48,919,721 | 39,325,414 | -9,594,307 |
| Sweden | 41,114,019 | 20,055,027 | -21,058,992 |
| Belgium | 23,159,705 | 34,610,377 | +11,450,672 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 98 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 66 |
| Inner London - East | 59 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 35 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 34 |
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 | 77 | 74 | -3 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 56 | 53 | -3 |
| Inner London - East | 45 | 42 | -3 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 27 | 24 | -3 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 30 | 28 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 23 | 21 | -2 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 20 | 16 | -4 |
| Greater Manchester | 18 | 15 | -3 |
| Outer London - South | 18 | 20 | +2 |
| 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) | 934,597,337 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 522,467,839 |
| Other | 266,242,748 |
| Air transport | 128,707,017 |
| 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) | 480,236,890 | 454,360,447 | -25,876,443 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 261,327,124 | 261,140,715 | -186,409 |
| Other | 206,530,577 | 59,712,171 | -146,818,406 |
| Air transport | 62,076,630 | 66,630,387 | +4,553,757 |
| Own propulsion (e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary) | 0 | 81,070,545 | +81,070,545 |
| Road transport | 80,465 | 73,373,070 | +73,292,605 |
| 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 | 266,242,748 |
| London | 247,772,372 |
| Immingham Docks | 186,860,180 |
| 499 | 174,354,465 |
| Liverpool Docks | 162,470,701 |
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 | 206,530,577 | 59,712,171 | -146,818,406 |
| London | 119,072,710 | 128,699,662 | +9,626,952 |
| Immingham Docks | 89,236,481 | 97,623,699 | +8,387,218 |
| 499 | 7,836 | 174,346,629 | +174,338,793 |
| Liverpool Docks | 89,899,392 | 72,571,309 | -17,328,083 |
| Dover | 58,409,328 | 69,533,038 | +11,123,710 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 65,557,520 | 55,924,254 | -9,633,266 |
| Hull | 51,255,746 | 46,037,072 | -5,218,674 |
| Coventry Airport | 47,793,103 | 47,288,428 | -504,675 |
| Southampton | 21,246,121 | 72,432,963 | +51,186,842 |
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
|
409 |
|
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
152 |
|
Manufacture of beverages
|
78 |
|
Food and beverage service activities
|
39 |
|
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 | 178 |
| 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 | 267 |
| 0-1m | 160 |
| 54m+ | 124 |
| 15m-54m | 72 |
| Other | 37 |
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 | 2,517,099,494 |
| France | 907,449,838 |
| Singapore | 611,982,411 |
| India | 579,628,059 |
| Spain | 532,469,567 |
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 | 1,316,821,667 | 1,200,277,827 | -116,543,840 |
| France | 484,488,677 | 422,961,161 | -61,527,516 |
| Singapore | 312,850,532 | 299,131,879 | -13,718,653 |
| India | 261,058,782 | 318,569,277 | +57,510,495 |
| Spain | 259,697,383 | 272,772,184 | +13,074,801 |
| Germany | 259,890,094 | 269,523,693 | +9,633,599 |
| Turkey | 252,985,981 | 262,084,164 | +9,098,183 |
| Taiwan | 287,299,675 | 223,032,925 | -64,266,750 |
| Japan | 190,044,923 | 167,405,239 | -22,639,684 |
| China | 167,047,566 | 179,117,924 | +12,070,358 |
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 | 98,231,015 |
| Ireland | 56,437,075 |
| Germany | 54,530,646 |
| Italy | 27,303,846 |
| Spain | 21,970,478 |
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 | 27,600,651 | 70,630,364 | +43,029,713 |
| Ireland | 31,424,538 | 25,012,537 | -6,412,001 |
| Germany | 35,543,561 | 18,987,085 | -16,556,476 |
| Italy | 19,554,148 | 7,749,698 | -11,804,450 |
| Spain | 15,148,760 | 6,821,718 | -8,327,042 |
| France | 8,932,064 | 3,998,990 | -4,933,074 |
| Romania | 6,005,329 | 3,012,782 | -2,992,547 |
| Denmark | 4,113,358 | 2,754,365 | -1,358,993 |
| Japan | 1,384,538 | 1,483,462 | +98,924 |
| Sweden | 1,676,905 | 554,770 | -1,122,135 |
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) | 11,734,376,437 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 642,620,565 |
| Road transport | 352,278,067 |
| Other | 298,443,094 |
| Air transport | 259,778,547 |
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) | 5,878,458,432 | 5,855,918,005 | -22,540,427 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 331,804,720 | 310,815,845 | -20,988,875 |
| Road transport | 179,686,993 | 172,591,074 | -7,095,919 |
| Other | 155,327,784 | 143,115,310 | -12,212,474 |
| Air transport | 149,340,665 | 110,437,882 | -38,902,783 |
| 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 | 10,992,270,890 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 374,908,595 |
| 000 | 298,443,094 |
| Middlesbrough | 284,014,283 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 272,542,405 |
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 | 5,475,769,546 | 5,516,501,344 | +40,731,798 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 203,530,414 | 171,378,181 | -32,152,233 |
| 000 | 155,327,784 | 143,115,310 | -12,212,474 |
| Middlesbrough | 157,934,936 | 126,079,347 | -31,855,589 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 127,499,413 | 145,042,992 | +17,543,579 |
| Southampton | 61,770,721 | 78,779,230 | +17,008,509 |
| London Gateway Port | 71,505,665 | 61,393,769 | -10,111,896 |
| Immingham Docks | 52,951,724 | 60,859,172 | +7,907,448 |
| Belfast Port | 71,613,269 | 38,784,877 | -32,828,392 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 61,591,941 | 43,769,235 | -17,822,706 |
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