{"id":3940,"date":"2021-06-23T00:37:25","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T23:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackthornsdesign.com\/?p=3940"},"modified":"2025-11-04T23:20:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T22:20:02","slug":"consommation-boissons-alcoolisees-etats-unis-forte-augmentation-depuis-pres-de-20-ans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blackthornsdesign.com\/en\/blog\/happy-hour\/consommation-boissons-alcoolisees-etats-unis-forte-augmentation-depuis-pres-de-20-ans\/","title":{"rendered":"Post-covid trend: total consumption of alcoholic beverages on the rise in the United States"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\n

Driven by consumer demand for flavor, convenience and healthier options, key alcoholic beverage segments were accelerated by increased opportunities for home consumption<\/a> in 2020 in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to recent studies by the\u2019IWSR<\/a>, In 2020, the total volume of alcoholic beverages in the United States rose by +2.0 %, marking the strongest increase in alcohol consumption in the country since 2002! Thus, a more moderate rate of growth is forecast over the next five years, with a return to normal. (Finally)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abOne of the key drivers of alcoholic beverage consumption in the US is taste,\u00bb says Brand Rand, COO at IWSR US. \u00abFlavored subcategories - from beer to vodka to American whiskey - are performing significantly better than traditional unflavored subcategories. Flavoring is also the main driver of consumption in the fast-growing Ready-to-drink (RTD) category.\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n

U.S. spirits market records strongest volume growth since 1990<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, the US market recorded the biggest increase in volume for the spirits category since 1990, with value also rising. Within the category, agave-based spirits grew by +15.9% in volume in 2020, overtaking rum to become the third-largest spirits category in the US, behind vodka and whisky. Cognac\/Armagnac was also a big winner last year, and both categories are set to continue their growth path over the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whisky category posted mixed results in 2020, as customs duties had a negative impact on single malt Scotch (-6.1 % in volume), while bar and restaurant closures dragged Irish whisky down. Overall, total whisky volumes rose by +4.9%, driven by Japanese, Indian and American whiskies (in that order). Growth in the whisky category is outstripping that of vodka, however, with total whiskies set to overtake total vodkas in consumption volume by 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol-free and low-alcohol spirits<\/a> are stimulated by non-alcoholic spirit alternatives and spirit-related products, but which focus on mood-enhancing properties such as adaptogens. Although the trend is small non-alcoholic spirits<\/a> should end 2021 with an increase of 31.4 % in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n
\n

One of the key drivers of alcoholic beverage consumption in the United States is taste. Flavored sub-categories perform significantly better than traditional unflavored sub-categories.<\/p>\nBrand Rand, COO at IWSR US.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
\n

Wine resonates with consumers during periods of confinement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Total wine in the US grew slightly by +0.7 % in volume and +1.5 % in value in 2020, reversing the volume declines seen in 2019. Still and sparkling wine volumes both increased, but the still wines<\/a> are expected to return to more moderate declines, as soft drinks and spirits experience faster growth. Despite a lacklustre 2020, sparkling wines managed to post growth. Prosecco, for example (especially the ros\u00e9 expressions), has offset declines in Champagne consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is good news for low-alcohol wines, which more than doubled in 2020 in the USA. Major brands have entered the category in a big way, offering lower-calorie, lower-sugar alternatives with reasonable alcohol levels. Indeed, this is a direct response to the pressure exerted by the soft drinks category<\/a>. Imported wine volumes increased more than U.S. domestic wine volumes from markets such as Chile, Italy and New Zealand, which had no tariffs in place.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n
<\/div>
\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Uchronic Chardonnay wine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Uchronic Chardonnay wine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
\n

Soft drinks set to become the second-largest alcoholic beverage category in the U.S.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The biggest increases in alcohol consumption in the U.S. last year were in the soft drinks category (which includes the popular sub-category of hard seltzers<\/a>), making soft drinks larger by volume than all spirits in the US, and by the end of 2021 larger than all wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n