WINE AND SPIRIT TRADE. The consumption of wine and spirits in the United Kingdom amounts in round num bers to about 28 million gallons, the duty on which, about 9,000,0001., is equal to above one-sixth of the whole revenue. The average consumption of wine of all kinds is about 6 million gallons, though in some years it has fallen much below this quantity. Of foreign and colonial spirits the annual consumption is about 34 million gallons ; and of British spirits about 20 million gallons, though in 1842 it fell below this quantity from various causes. The stock of wine in bond is usually equal to two years' consumption: in January, 1843, the quantity under bond in the port of London was 7,004,347 gallons, and there were 4,440,246 gallons at the outports. At the same date there were 6,091,205 gallons of foreign and colonial spirits in bond, of which 3,589,672 gallons were in London, and 2,491,533 at e outports.
The rate of duty on wines and spirits has had great influence on the consump tion. In 1700 the average consumption of wine in England was nearly one gallon per head, whereas it is now less than a fourth of a gallon. Prior to the Methuen Treaty the wines consumed in this coun try were almost entirely the produce of France, but although the duty on French wines was equalised in 1831, the annual consumption only amounts to one gallon amongst sixty people. In France the consumption of wine is 19 gallons per head; and in Holland, with moderate duties, the consumption of French wine is one gallon per head. Mr. Porter states in his' Progress of the Nation,' that there are wines produced in France better adapted to the English taste than the French wines usually drunk here, and that they could be imported at sixpence a bottle without duty. If, as he remarks, wines of fair quality and flavour could be sold by retail at one shilling the bottle, the consumption would no doubt be very large; but the duty alone is at present not less than a shilling a bottle, and the consequence is that the consumption of French wines is chiefly confined to those of the first class. But beer is the com mon drink in England, and it would pro bably continue to be so, if wines were as cheap in England as in France. The
present duty on all foreign wines is 5s. 6d. the gallon ; the duty on Cape wines is 2s. 9d. the gallon. The num ber of gallons of foreign wines retained for home consumption in the year end ing January 5, 1845, was 6,838,684, of which 2,887,501 were Portugal wines, 2,478,360 were Spanish wines, and 473,789 were French wines ; the rest were Cape, Sicilian, and other sorts. As another illustration of the effect of high duties in checking consumption, it may be stated that the duty of 22s. 10d. on foreign spirits was less productive than the duty of I 1 s. Id. in 1801; though if the rate of consumption had followed the increase of population, the duty would have been 2,465,7671. more than the amount actu ally received. The present rates of duty on British spirits are from 500 to 600 per cent.; on Irish and Scotch corn spirits (whisky) about 200 per cent. ; and on Irish and Scotch malt spirits (whisky) 300 per cent. and upwards. By the last Tariff (1846) the duty on foreign spirits is reduced to 15s. the gallon ; the duties on colonial spirits, on home-made spirits, and on foreign wines were not altered by it. The number of gallons, including overproof, of foreign and colo nial spirits, of all sorts, retained for home consumption, was— in England passes through the hands of the rectifier, who, by the addition of various ingredients, produces the com pound called gin ; and above 500,000 gallons of English spirit are flavoured in imitation of French brandy.
Malt and unmalted grain together are used in the English distilleries; six sevenths of the Scotch spirits are made from malt, and the remainder from malt and unmalted grain ; in Ireland about a tenth is from malt, and, with the exception of a few hundred gallons from potatoes, the remainder is from malt and unmalted grain. Of the British spirits consumed in 1845 the number of gallons made from malt only was the remainder (16,453,829) having been made from a mixture of malt with unmalted grain. The number of gallons made from malt only was 5,368,697 in Scotland; 717,483 in England ; and 582,579 in Ireland. The duty was 7s. I0d. per gallon on Eng lish spirit, 3s. 8d. on Scotch spirit, and 2s. 8d. on Irish spirit.