Spirits in Uruguay

PROSPECTS

Whisky is Uruguayans’ favourite spirit, mainly imported brands

Traditionally, people of all ages and incomes in Uruguay have consumed whisky. For this reason, the whiskies category is by far the largest within spirits in terms of total volume sales, and no major changes are expected in consumer preferences.

CABA’s closure set to make the competitive environment more international

After several years of losses and having few opportunities for bidding, in 2018 it was decided to liquidate local spirits company CABA, as it was impossible to sell the company. The closure of CABA will have a strong impact on future sales, as marketing activity and operations will be focused on imported brands.

Greater advertising regulation could hamper growth

It is expected that in the forecast period the Uruguayan government will produce a bill to further control the consumption of alcoholic drinks. This is expected to include the regulation of advertising, and could include explicit warnings about the damage of alcoholic drinks to health, as well as changes to the way distribution by retailers is authorised within the country.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Diageo Uruguay leads spirits in Uruguay

In 2018, Diageo Uruguay led overall spirits in total volume terms. This was mainly thanks to its lead in whiskies, which is the biggest category by far in terms of volume and value sales.

International companies dominate and should gain share

Both the leader in spirits, Diageo Uruguay, and the second player, Pernod Ricard Uruguay, are international companies. In 2018, local company CABA was third.

Possible new brands as Johnnie Walker Green Label is successful

Blended malt Scotch whisky continued to post the highest total volume growth in 2018, although growth slowed from triple-digit to double-digit. This is not a competitive category, with this strong performance thanks solely to the growth of Johnnie Walker Green Label, a brand from Diageo Uruguay.

Files are delivered directly into your account within a few minutes of purchase.