Sales of elite alcohol have increased significantly in Russia. Our people, like real dandies, drink whiskey and rum, to the envy of all pirates. Moreover, if the total sales growth compared to last year was only 4.2%, then the sales of whiskey – almost a quarter. And the other “elite” did not lag behind.
Gin was the one that saw the least price increase, but it rose a lot last year, when only the Russian juniper drink was being talked about. Among the top ten best-selling gins there was only one foreign gin: the world-famous Gordon’s, and that too in the middle, towards the end.
The only drink people are drinking less of is vermouth. And that’s true: money down the drain.
What is the reason for such a sharp increase in interest in foreign spirits? What immediately comes to mind is that Russia has increased its own production of these products – import substitution. Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote how representatives of our factories tour overseas countries and extract whisky and rum distillates.
“Sales of whiskey, gin and rum are increasing due to the inexpensive varieties produced in Russia,” Vadim Drobiz, director of the Center for Research of Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets (CIFRA), told KP.RU. – They are consumed mainly not by those who previously drank imported products (they continued to drink imported ones), but by those who previously drank vodka. Salaries have increased and people can afford more expensive drinks that are considered more exclusive than vodka.
Another reason for the growth is the reduction in outbound tourism.
“Those who used to go on holiday abroad and drink there, now do so in Russia,” Drobiz explained.
On the website of a popular supermarket, a KP correspondent found that out of 174 types of whiskey costing up to 2,000 rubles a bottle, 74 were Russian. The share of Russian gin in the same price category is the highest: 46 out of 67. Rum – 13 out of 61. And tequila – only 9 items. Moreover, not only traditional Mexico, but also France, Italy, Germany. There is no Russian tequila. So it is time for our alcohol industry to master “vodka made from cactus.”
AMONG THE 15 BEST GIN BRANDS ONLY TWO ARE FOREIGN
“Any category has a ‘ceiling’ and cannot grow by 30-40% every year,” the Ladoga company, which produces the most popular Barrister gin in Russia and other alcoholic beverages, told kp.ru. – A year ago we predicted that the gin category was gradually reaching its limit. Barrister now occupies almost half of the market. In total, 50 factories in Russia produce 95 brands. According to A.LIST, among the top 15 gin brands by sales, which account for 82% of all gin sold, only two are foreign.
“Rum sales in LADOGA in the first half of the year increased by 76% compared to the same period in 2023. Tequila sales doubled. Whisky sales in LADOGA increased by 39%. Russian brands – by 50%, sales of the Scotch-Irish portfolio remained at the same level. This year we started bottling whisky in China under our own Kubao brand and also brought in French whisky.”
The company believes that in the long term the number of brands and growth rates will decline.
How alcohol sales grew in Russia
Drink January-May 2024/January-May 2023, %
Whisky +24.6
Tequila +21.3
Rum +20.3
Bitters +19.3
Appetizers +18.1
Geneva 13.7
Vermouth -2.3
Source: NielsenIQ
