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 | 347,057,873 |
| United States | 294,762,681 |
| Netherlands | 261,136,040 |
| Italy | 259,383,390 |
| Ireland | 178,868,788 |
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 | 185,130,327 | 161,927,546 | -23,202,781 |
| United States | 155,794,616 | 138,968,065 | -16,826,551 |
| Netherlands | 128,286,478 | 132,849,562 | +4,563,084 |
| Italy | 141,373,932 | 118,009,458 | -23,364,474 |
| Ireland | 94,426,411 | 84,442,377 | -9,984,034 |
| Belgium | 50,124,167 | 63,607,278 | +13,483,111 |
| Mexico | 44,370,607 | 51,667,676 | +7,297,069 |
| Spain | 53,432,296 | 38,864,574 | -14,567,722 |
| Germany | 33,391,825 | 33,126,659 | -265,166 |
| Sweden | 28,896,649 | 26,182,267 | -2,714,382 |
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 | 355,803,519 |
| France | 310,139,863 |
| Italy | 188,467,189 |
| Netherlands | 169,722,045 |
| Ireland | 154,509,694 |
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 | 188,923,584 | 166,879,935 | -22,043,649 |
| France | 160,713,744 | 149,426,119 | -11,287,625 |
| Italy | 101,175,524 | 87,291,665 | -13,883,859 |
| Netherlands | 79,992,988 | 89,729,057 | +9,736,069 |
| Ireland | 81,932,018 | 72,577,676 | -9,354,342 |
| Mexico | 58,755,474 | 72,878,523 | +14,123,049 |
| United Kingdom | 47,451,610 | 39,944,960 | -7,506,650 |
| Germany | 43,088,758 | 43,020,374 | -68,384 |
| Sweden | 41,331,736 | 24,822,392 | -16,509,344 |
| Belgium | 22,195,079 | 29,284,302 | +7,089,223 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 96 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 66 |
| Inner London - East | 59 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 36 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 35 |
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 | 78 | +6 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 58 | 50 | -8 |
| Inner London - East | 41 | 45 | +4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 30 | 21 | -9 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 28 | 26 | -2 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 25 | 21 | -4 |
| Greater Manchester | 19 | 14 | -5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 20 | 16 | -4 |
| Essex | 16 | 13 | -3 |
| Outer London - South | 17 | 18 | +1 |
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) | 916,586,572 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 502,567,051 |
| Other | 306,526,027 |
| Air transport | 124,677,540 |
| 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) | 481,094,523 | 435,492,049 | -45,602,474 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 260,808,543 | 241,758,508 | -19,050,035 |
| Other | 193,782,532 | 112,743,495 | -81,039,037 |
| Air transport | 62,321,266 | 62,356,274 | +35,008 |
| Own propulsion (e.g. imported vehicle driven across land boundary) | 0 | 68,047,117 | +68,047,117 |
| Road transport | 148,981 | 13,411,046 | +13,262,065 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| 000 | 306,526,027 |
| London | 233,509,046 |
| Immingham Docks | 181,233,957 |
| Liverpool Docks | 162,180,187 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 122,756,550 |
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 | 193,782,532 | 112,743,495 | -81,039,037 |
| London | 111,049,980 | 122,459,066 | +11,409,086 |
| Immingham Docks | 86,389,811 | 94,844,146 | +8,454,335 |
| Liverpool Docks | 92,441,297 | 69,738,890 | -22,702,407 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 57,854,223 | 64,902,327 | +7,048,104 |
| Dover | 60,981,702 | 56,369,173 | -4,612,529 |
| Hull | 62,826,992 | 43,365,572 | -19,461,420 |
| Coventry Airport | 48,215,564 | 45,421,026 | -2,794,538 |
| 499 | 123,874 | 93,165,968 | +93,042,094 |
| London Gateway Port | 58,288,719 | 23,813,230 | -34,475,489 |
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 | 396 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 152 |
| Manufacture of beverages | 71 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 41 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 28 |
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 | 254 |
| 0-1m | 167 |
| 54m+ | 117 |
| 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 | 2,444,252,977 |
| France | 890,736,914 |
| Singapore | 591,002,078 |
| India | 520,115,494 |
| Taiwan | 512,728,992 |
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 | 1,321,152,929 | 1,123,100,048 | -198,052,881 |
| France | 468,262,578 | 422,474,336 | -45,788,242 |
| Singapore | 328,742,734 | 262,259,344 | -66,483,390 |
| India | 256,474,589 | 263,640,905 | +7,166,316 |
| Taiwan | 306,422,200 | 206,306,792 | -100,115,408 |
| Germany | 251,270,014 | 251,643,247 | +373,233 |
| Spain | 244,562,895 | 243,547,567 | -1,015,328 |
| Turkey | 203,313,592 | 261,059,382 | +57,745,790 |
| Japan | 197,537,086 | 150,052,126 | -47,484,960 |
| China | 171,255,163 | 161,621,882 | -9,633,281 |
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 | 64,447,148 |
| Ireland | 59,534,631 |
| XI | 56,593,128 |
| Italy | 31,297,577 |
| Spain | 26,250,697 |
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 | 33,233,190 | 31,213,958 | -2,019,232 |
| Ireland | 27,604,717 | 31,929,914 | +4,325,197 |
| XI | 27,154,911 | 29,438,217 | +2,283,306 |
| Italy | 19,621,220 | 11,676,357 | -7,944,863 |
| Spain | 13,757,011 | 12,493,686 | -1,263,325 |
| France | 9,543,337 | 6,112,769 | -3,430,568 |
| Romania | 6,028,352 | 3,591,134 | -2,437,218 |
| Denmark | 3,660,825 | 3,855,317 | +194,492 |
| Japan | 1,156,437 | 1,474,790 | +318,353 |
| Poland | 1,428,640 | 926,443 | -502,197 |
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) | 11,300,658,779 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 564,153,250 |
| Road transport | 314,038,034 |
| Other | 283,158,779 |
| Air transport | 264,217,951 |
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) | 5,927,194,079 | 5,373,464,700 | -553,729,379 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 295,348,500 | 268,804,750 | -26,543,750 |
| Road transport | 119,704,131 | 194,333,903 | +74,629,772 |
| Other | 147,389,810 | 135,768,969 | -11,620,841 |
| Air transport | 156,261,877 | 107,956,074 | -48,305,803 |
| Rail transport | 120,869 | 391,099 | +270,230 |
| 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 | 10,538,818,250 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 375,462,732 |
| 000 | 283,158,779 |
| Middlesbrough | 253,351,904 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 240,672,390 |
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 | 5,462,276,852 | 5,076,541,398 | -385,735,454 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 222,238,537 | 153,224,195 | -69,014,342 |
| 000 | 147,389,810 | 135,768,969 | -11,620,841 |
| Middlesbrough | 135,604,328 | 117,747,576 | -17,856,752 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 126,411,180 | 114,261,210 | -12,149,970 |
| Southampton | 62,665,302 | 73,901,196 | +11,235,894 |
| London Gateway Port | 74,133,406 | 59,675,731 | -14,457,675 |
| Belfast Port | 62,252,771 | 48,174,377 | -14,078,394 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 60,858,414 | 45,418,724 | -15,439,690 |
| Immingham Docks | 55,058,227 | 51,196,835 | -3,861,392 |
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