IWSR data for the global alcohol industry shows that consumption stood at 27.6 billion nine-litre cases in 2018, a 1.6% decrease compared to the previous year.
The spirits market showed growth in the period, while beer and wine volumes were down, the study found.
The overall alcohol market is expected to grow by around 3% over the next five years, reaching 28.5 billion cases by 2023.
Gin Growth
The gin category saw the largest gain in global beverage alcohol consumption in 2018, of 8.3% compared to the previous year.
Pink gin, the IWSR said, was a key growth driver, with sales of more than 72 million nine-litre cases globally last year.
In the UK alone, gin was up 32.5% in 2018, while the Philippines saw growth of 8%, fuelled by a booming cocktail scene and the premiumisation of the market.
By 2023, the gin category is expected to reach 88.4 million cases globally, with particularly strong growth in key markets such as the UK, Philippines, South Africa, Brazil, Uganda, Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada and France.
Whiskey
The global whisky category increased by 7% last year driven by a strong Indian economy, where whisky grew by 10.5%, the IWSR said. The US and Japan grew by 5% and 8%, respectively.
The IWSR forecasts whisky to grow by 5.7% CAGR from 2018 to 2023, to almost 581 million nine-litre cases.
Mixed Drinks And Cider
In 2018 the mixed drinks category, including premixed cocktails, long drinks, and flavoured alcoholic beverages, grew by 5% globally.
It is predicted that by 2023 more than 597 million nine-litre cases of mixed drinks will be consumed across the world.
This growth is backed by continued strong gains in ready-to-drink (RTD) cans in the US and Japan, the categories' two largest markets.
The cider category is expecting sales of almost 270 million cases by 2023, a 2% CAGR 2018-2023.
Beer
Global beer declined -2.2% in 2018, impacted greatly by volume decreases in China, which declined -13%.
The US and Brazil also saw losses of 1.6% and 2.3% respectively, while Mexico and Germany saw growth of 6.6% and 1%, respectively.
However, the IWSR report does forecast that the category will see a slight increase in 2019 and post a 0.7% CAGR 2018-2023.
Wine
In 2018, wine lost 1.6% in volume as consumption declined in major markets such as China, Italy, France, Germany and Spain.
However, although consumers are drinking less wine, they are drinking better, which is pushing wine value to increase.
It reports that globally, the retail value of wine is projected at $224.5 billion by 2023, up from $215.8 billion in 2018.
Sparkling wine is expected to show a five-year CAGR of 1.17% 2018- 2023, driven in large part by Prosecco.
“Every year our analysts spend months traveling the world to speak with suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, and other beverage alcohol professionals to assess what is happening market by market in this fast-changing business,” commented Mark Meek, CEO, ISWR.
“The raw data we collect is enormously valuable, but equally important is what that data tells us in terms of trends, challenges, and opportunities facing the industry" he said.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Helen Galgey. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
