Data Says Americans Are Drinking Less Alcohol

According to a study released last week by IWSR, they say Americans drank less alcohol in 2018. A trend that has continued for the third straight year.

IWSR, who provides data for the global beverage alcohol market, says the total alcohol volume in the US declined by -0.8 last year to 3.345 billion 9-liter cases, which is slightly worse than the -0.7% slip the year prior. Distilled spirits were up +1.9% and wine grew slightly by +0.4%. Innovations in the cider and mixed drinks categories helped reverse their decline from 2017, to post increases of +4.1% and +6.1%, respectively. Beer, which at 2.62 billion 9-liter cases has long dominated the alcohol market in the U.S., was down -1.5%.These initial 2018 category results for the U.S. market are part of the IWSR U.S. Beverage Alcohol Review (US  BAR) database, available to IWSR’s global customers.

As beer volumes have  declined, so has the category’s share of the total U.S. alcohol market. In 2018, beer commanded 78.3% of U.S. alcohol volume, down from 78.9% in 2017. Consumer interest in craft beer remains healthy, however, with a 2018 increase of +4.7%, and a continued rise in on-site consumption at domestic breweries.

In 2018 wine achieved its 24th consecutive year of volume growth in the U.S., aided by more than 13,000 wineries in the country, a number which increased by almost 1,000 in 2018. The still wine segment, which commands 87.3% of the total wine category, was up only 0.2%. Sparkling wine, led by prosecco (+11%), increased by 4.3%.

The mixed drinks category (how the IWSR defines ready-to-drink, flavored malt beverages, and other pre-mixed cocktails) was the most buoyant segment within U.S. beverage alcohol in 2018, up +6.1%, driven by increased thirst for alcoholic seltzers, which consumers often perceive as healthier alternatives to other products. Additionally, rose-flavored ciders and local craft ciders helped drive +4.1% growth in that category.

To calculate these figures, the IWSR carefully collects and analyzes data from the trade with verification from supplier-provided financial releases and other proprietary data collection. This information is considered preliminary data (p) and is subject to revision with the official IWSR 2018 global database release in May 2019.

Source: https://www.theiwsr.com/content/press/2019/Americans%20Drank%203.345%20Billion%20Cases%20of%20Alcohol%20in%202018%20says%20IWSR.pdf