Spirits

Sales of spirits declined in total volume terms in 2023. This stemmed from the combination of a number of negative factors including the end of the positive post-pandemic offsetting effect that boosted on-trade sales in 2021 and 2022. There were also…

2023 was a difficult year for spirits. Despite experiencing a period of high growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, the category faced an increasingly challenging environment due to both consumer and industry dynamics. Supply chain issues and rising…

Total volume sales of spirits in Japan declined slightly in 2023, as a result of off-trade decline outweighing on-trade growth. However, not all categories saw falling sales. During the three years of the pandemic, there was a surge in the home…

Spirits in China showed different trends in total volume and total current value terms in 2023. Total volume sales declined both off-trade and on-trade, primarily due to the continued decrease in sales of Chinese spirits. Although the lifting of…

Volume sales of spirits in the Philippines registered positive growth in 2023. This was within the context of a gradually improving economy, which had a positive impact on disposable incomes. Gin and rum remained the most important product areas in…

Sprits in South Korea recorded a total volume decline in 2023. However, not all categories faced a negative performance. For instance, whiskies demonstrated robust growth, notably influenced by the behaviours of Generation Z of legal drinking age,…

In 2023, traditional spirits such as vodka, gin, and whiskies continued to enjoy growth in Algeria despite an overall challenging environment for spirits. Consumers became more open-minded and increasingly inclined to explore new tastes and flavours,…

Spirits in the UK experienced another weak performance in 2023, recording both on-trade and off-trade volume declines. Sales via the on-trade channel were negatively impacted by high cost of living and the desire among local consumers to save money,…

Sales of spirits declined in off-trade and on-trade volume terms in 2022. The category experienced a strong rebound in demand in 2021 boosted by the easing of restrictions and consumers returning to on-trade outlets. However, with life in Lithuania…

Many Australians spent the two first years of COVID-19 experimenting with creating cocktails at home. As the pandemic eased in 2022, this resulted in a cocktail boom in the on-trade, as these increasingly educated cocktail connoisseurs sought…

Spirits recorded solid total volume growth in 2022, despite poor economic conditions and strong rises in unit prices. Actual volume growth was driven largely by gin and bitters, which are categories dominated by economy brands. Whilst categories…

Even though 2022 was marked by inflationary pressures, spirits witnessed rapid growth in Colombia, driven by the further recovery of the on-trade channel where double-digit volume growth was visible. Consumers were eager to socialize after so much…

Spirits consumption increased notably in both off- and on-premise terms, driven by a huge incremental volume growth of bitters, which reached the highest historical consumption in 2022. Bitters, which hold the majority of spirits consumption in…

Spirits recorded buoyant volume growth in both the off-trade and on-trade channels in Vietnam in 2022, in keeping with the positive recovery of the domestic economy. With a stronger sense of optimism, local consumers were more willing to spend money…

Whiskies experienced rapid total volume growth in Brazil in 2022, even amidst the challenging macroeconomic conditions and the income constraints of Brazilian consumers. The whiskies renaissance in Brazil can be attributed to various trends,…

The overall volume sales of spirits climbed in 2022. Although the volume sales through off-trade channels of almost all categories fell during the year, the total market volume ended on the positive side. Total volume sales were boosted by the growth…

2022 saw off-trade volume sales of spirits decline and this was entirely due to falling demand in the key category of aniseed-flavoured spirits, where sales are dominated by the local spirit raki. Due to its high alcohol content, raki is the type of…

The Pakistani market provides limited access to spirits, and alcoholic drinks in general, with whiskies, gin and vodka the most readily purchased spirits. Consumers in the country have restricted access to and limited opportunities to try new…

Total volume growth in spirits remains positive in 2022 as the category continued to recover from the pandemic. Moreover, the double-digit inflation that led to increased prices across many other consumer goods categories was less visible within…

On-trade sales account for a significant proportion of sales in spirits and so the category was more heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other alcoholic drinks. During the two years of the pandemic, almost all bars, pubs and…

Bars were more affected by COVID-19 measures, such as bans on indoor sitting, people not allowed to stand and music prohibited in indoor spaces. Pandemic-related measures were more favourable to traditional on-trade outlets. Therefore, in general,…

The spirits category has been greatly affected by the increase in ICE tax (Special Consumption Tax) for alcoholic beverages, which is a tax levied on each litre of pure alcohol. Since the spirits category has the highest levels of alcohol, it has…

In 2022, enthusiastic bar-goers drove strong on-trade volume growth for spirits. The full reopening of nightlife venues drove the growth of Singapore’s bar and cocktail scene, as businesses saw a rise in reservations. Singapore has a world-renowned…

Shochu/soju has been experiencing growth in the Indonesian market supported by the general rise in interest in Korean culture, and particularly K-Pop, across the globe. In recent years, there has also been more product variation available in the…

United Spirits continued to lead the overall market for spirits in India in 2022, being the local representative of global player Diageo Plc. However, the company witnessed a significant decline in volume share during the year, as it shifted its…

As seen with the trend for champagne in clubs, we are also seeing a significant increase in sales of premium and prestige premium spirits through clubs and lounges in Cameroon. Brands such as Johnnie Walker Black Label (Diageo Plc), Jack Daniel’s…

Total volume sales of spirits recorded a marked recovery in 2022, driven by the full reopening of the on-trade channel, as night clubs were finally allowed to reopen with no restrictions in March 2022. Although the shift in consumption occasions…

Off-trade spirits saw a decline in volume and value sales in 2022, largely due to the resumption of cross-border trade with Sweden and an increase in international travel. The on-trade spirits market, meanwhile, experienced a recovery in 2022…

In 2022, both off- and on-trade sales of spirits in Bulgaria increased. Current value growth by far exceeded volume growth due to a huge rise in average unit prices. Despite this, the premiumisation trend continued as Bulgarians increasingly favour…

2022 was a good year for the spirits category in Latvia following the relaxation of pandemic restrictions, with horeca establishments able to work at full capacity from March 2022. As a result, spirits sales grew significantly in the on- and…

Spirits have seen a good recovery over the forecast period, with the category recording positive single-digit growth in 2022. Rising local disposable income combined to this growth, with an increased interest in spirits also being a main contributor…

Spirits, much like the broader alcoholic beverage market, witnessed a strong recovery in on-trade sales at the expense of off-trade sales in 2022, as the COVID-19 situation became more manageable and consumers gradually returned to their pre-pandemic…

Following a two-year period of healthy volume growth, sales of spirits declined in 2022. This was attributable to the poor performance of the off-trade, as inflationary pressures forced many consumers to show more prudence with their spending.…

In 2022 sales of spirits through the off-trade were under pressure, with sales declining in volume terms after the strong growth seen during the pandemic. As restrictions were lifted and COVID-19 fears subsided consumers started to spend less time at…

2022 proved to be a very good year for total volume and current value sales of spirits in Portugal. As a result, the country continued its recovery from the heavy declines in on-trade volume and value sales in 2020. These had only partially offset by…

The health and wellness trend seen globally and in New Zealand, particularly amongst millennial consumers, has been influencing demand for ‘better-for-you’ drinks, such as zero-alcohol beers, lighter wines, low-alcohol seltzers, and lower carb and…

Sales of spirits rebounded strongly in total volume terms in 2022 although the performances of the different categories varied. For instance, standard vodka as well as standard and premium English gin enjoyed healthy growth in total volume terms in…

The recovery of tourism flows in Georgia in 2022 boosted the demand for spirits. On-trade volume sales continued to grow to almost reach the 2019 pre-pandemic level by the end of the review period. In 2022, local consumers spent more time outside…

On-trade spirits sales continued to see strong growth in 2022, while off-trade sales saw moderate growth, with a boost in the on-trade driven by the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions in February 2022. However, the uncertainty brought on by the…

The increase in the global oil price has had a notable impact on the price of spirits, particularly imported products. This is due to the pricing domino effect caused by related increases in production costs, shipping expenses, and packaging costs…

In 2022, US demand for tequila (and mezcal) continued its dynamic growth. At the same time, agave prices observed significant increases, driven by this demand, but also by inflationary pressures. This resulted in significant price increases for…

Spirits was the category to suffer the most from Italy’s COVID-19 related restrictions. Indeed, unlike wine and beer, a significant share of on-trade sales of spirits traditionally concern non-dining establishments such as nightclubs. These…

In terms of single categories, tequila (and mezcal) registered the fastest total volume growth in 2022. This performance can be explained by several factors: increased awareness of tequila (and mezcal); greater availability on retail shelves; and…

Spirits recorded another year of growth in 2022 thanks to rising demand for quality spirits in the country. The low unit price increase of spirits also attracted increasingly price-sensitive consumers with reduced disposable incomes as a result of…

Spirits manufacturers are seeking opportunities in new industries following the saturation of the disinfectant market in 2021, which resulted in intense price competition. Leading local spirits company St Nicolaus Trade, for example, ventured into…

The market for spirits in Poland has reached saturation point though it continues to evolve, adapting to emerging trends. In 2022, vodka, the largest product area, saw a decrease in off-trade volume sales but current value growth owing to inflation…

Spirits overall in Kenya has been experiencing a significant upswing in terms of total volume sales, due to the growing popularity of international brands. Increased importation of a diverse range of international spirits has been instrumental in…

Spirits registered very healthy double-digit volume growth in 2022. Part of the reason for the positive performance was increased socialising, as society fully opened up post pandemic lockdowns. The return of foreign tourists also contributed to the…

White spirits saw the strongest total volume growth within spirits in 2022, as consumers resumed social consumption at bars and restaurants. On-trade spaces offer diversity in terms of flavour profiles, allowing consumers to choose according to their…

Spirits is also seeing some cross-category trends. Namely, the event of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated at-home alcohol consumption, pushing forward premium products during the era of the lockdowns. Indeed, the periods of home quarantine encouraged…