Alcohol sales with high potency in Russia decreased by 14.7% during the recent quarter
In Q1 2025, sales of several major alcohol categories in Russia experienced a sharp decline. Vodka, brandy, cognac, and other strong drinks (above 9% alcohol content) saw significant drops in sales. Vodka sales decreased by 7.2%, brandy sales dropped by 10%, cognac declined by 6%, and strong drinks saw a 4.4% decrease compared to Q1 2024. The reasons cited for these drops include rising prices, increased excise taxes, and higher minimum retail prices.
However, there is no available data on the trends for low-alcohol drinks, such as beer or low-alcohol ready-to-drink products, in the main industry report for Q1 2025. One social media post suggests a shift in attitudes toward beer in public spaces, but quantitative sales data for Q1 2025 versus 2024 is not provided.
For the first nine months of 2024, "vodka and still wines rose by less than 1%," but this is outside the Q1 2025 period and does not mention low-alcohol drinks.
The production sector showed some contrasting dynamics. The production of cider and mead increased by 27.8% and 31.5% respectively, while beer production rose by 4.3%. Beer drinks, a segment of low-alcohol products, saw a record increase of 19.5%.
Overall sales in the period from January to September 2024 showed slightly increased sales for wine (+0.9%), vodka (+0.6%), cognac (+4.2%), sparkling wine (+11.1%), and liqueurs (+10.6%). However, low-alcohol drink sales decreased by 13.5% during the same period to 11.12 million dal.
In summary, while the trend for major alcohol categories is negative, there is no quantifiable data available on Q1 2025 sales trends for low-alcohol drinks in Russia compared to Q1 2024. The referenced sources do not provide such data.
Science indicates a potential shift in consumer preferences towards health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise, as sales of low-alcohol drinks witnessed a significant drop of 13.5% from January to September 2024, contrary to the slight increments recorded for other alcohol categories.
