The alcoholic beverage market in the U.S. is undergoing several changes. Where beer was once the country's favorite alcoholic beverage, today its market share has shrunk to 42 percent. For the first time in 2022, spirits have taken up the mantel as America's preferred alcohol. At the same time, younger consumers are reconsidering their relationship with alcohol. More than ever before, they are choosing to forego alcohol entirely and those that haven't are looking for more than their parent's generation's staples.
In 2021, sales of alcoholic beverages grew by 15 percent after a steep decline the year prior due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, sales continued to grow and finally exceeded pre-pandemic levels. On-premise sales totaled 112 billion U.S. dollars that year, roughly 43 percent of sales. The pandemic was a boon for online sales of alcohol, which grew by 37 percent in 2020 and has remained substantially positive since. Beer saw a sharp contraction in revenue 2020, but has also now surpassed the high prior to the pandemic. Domestic beer remains the largest segment with a 69 percent share of the market. Retail sales of wine also dipped in 2020, falling 10 percent compared to 2019 but have since reached an all time high of 78.4 billion dollars. As with alcohol generally, direct to consumer sales of wine grew during the pandemic, in part due to online sales. 2022 saw the first decline in such sales but it remains to be seen if this is a reversal of the trend or just a temporary dip. In distilled spirits, retail sales totaled over 103 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Vodka was, by far, the largest segment in the spirits industry, with consumer spending reaching 30 billion dollars, more than double that of straight American whiskey, the next best selling category.
Alcohol consumption in the United States has been steadily growing for years. Per capita, Americans now consume 2.51 gallons of alcohol, a growth of over 15 percent compared to 20 years ago. Consumption of beer declined in 2020 and is expected to remain flat into the foreseeable future. Average wine consumption in the U.S. bucked the trend during the pandemic and continued upward but just like direct-to-consumer sales, 2022 saw an abrupt decline. Distilled spirits on the other hand have continued to grow in consumption, with Americans drinking over 2.07 gallons in 2022. Gen Z consumers are more sober-curious than any other generation. Non-alcoholic beverages make up the vast majority of their consumption. They tend to pick these drinks instead of alcohol for reasons of health, part of the general health and wellness trend that younger consumers are helping to drive.
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