According to the latest annual report on the alcohol sector, Fortnum & Mason is the UK’s most prominent alcohol brand in 2023.
The report, conducted by Salience Search Marketing, analysed 11 crucial performance indicators, including year-on-year visibility, search volume trends, and brand awareness, for alcohol brands to reveal the names dominating the industry.
The UK’s top five prominent alcohol brands of 2023
Through analysing the number of monthly searches for each brand and calculating an owned social score which combines the number of followers and engagement rate across major social platforms for each brand, the report unveils the most prominent alcohol brands in the sector.
| Rank | Brand | Brand searches per month | Owned social score |
| 1 | Fortnum & Mason | 201,000 | 1,188 |
| 2 | Au Vodka | 135,000 | 692 |
| 3 | Naked Wines | 110,000 | 657 |
| 4 | Master of Malt | 74,000 | 701 |
| 5 | Waitrose Cellar | 22,200 | 1,662 |
The findings reveal Fortnum & Mason is the most prominent brand in the industry. With over 201,000 brand searches per month and an owned social score of 1,188, Fortnum & Mason is the market leader when it comes to brand awareness within the alcohol sector.
Au Vodka follows as the second most prominent brand in the sector with over 135,000 brand searches per month and an owned social score of 692 – thanks to their 522,100 social media followers.
Regarding organic visibility, there has been a 12% increase in overall organic growth within the industry, demonstrating a continuing growth in demand for alcohol.
Online brand visibility
The online visibility of brands is ranked depending on the achievement score of their growth, and based on the level of impact a decline may bring to a brand.
| Rank | Brands with the biggest growth in visibility YoY | Brands with the biggest decline in visibility YoY |
| 1 | Majestic | Fortnum & Mason |
| 2 | Drinksupermarket | Master of Malt |
| 3 | Laithwaites | Wine Searcher |
| 4 | Au Vodka | Beer Hawk |
| 5 | The Secret Bottle Shop | Vivino |
Majestic takes the lead with brand visibility as it sees the biggest growth in online visibility, with a 30% increase.
Drinksupermarket has also seen an increase in visibility, with a sizeable 58% jump.
These sizeable increases in visibility highlight a successful strategy and that the demand for alcohol remains prevalent.
In contrast, despite crowned the most prominent alcohol brand, Fortnum & Mason sees the biggest drop in organic visibility with a 12% decrease Year on Year.
Industry trends
The alcohol report also uncovers industry trends based on keyword trends. For products seeing the biggest online growth, ‘Whispering Angel’ has seen the biggest growth within the alcohol sector, with the term gaining 40,500 searches per month.
For receding product trends, ‘beer’ has seen the biggest change in searches, with a 7% decline in monthly searches totaling just 74,000 searches per month. While beer has been a forever staple within the drinking culture, it may be an indication that alcohol drinkers are looking for alternatives.
Brett Janes, managing director at Salience Search Marketing, said: “The pandemic, followed by the cost of living crisis, has brought huge changes to the consumer landscape, including alcohol.
“This growing demand is reflected in the industry-wide organic growth, as it records a 12% overall increase, marking a successful year for alcohol brands.
“However, as the new year kicks off, many Brits will attempt Dry January, with this annual resolution an alcohol brand’s worst nightmare. This will be a crucial time for brands within the sector to reevaluate their strategy to ensure that there is minimal loss of engagement.
“Overall, building a strong following and online presence across multiple channels becomes crucial in driving sales and capitalising on the expanding market demand.”
