Irish whiskey boosts global spirits volumes in H1
Spirits volumes rose by 1% in the first half (H1) of 2025 in 20 markets, driven by whisky made in Ireland and India.
Data from IWSR revealed total spirits volumes fell by 2% in the first six months of 2025, due to ‘steep declines’ for national spirits. Excluding national spirits such as Chinese baijiu and Japanese shochu, the overall category was up by 1%.
Total beverage alcohol (TBA) volumes dipped by 1% in H1, with beer down by 1% and wine falling by 5%.
The ready-to-drink (RTD) segment outperformed most alcohol categories across the 20 markets, rising by 3% in H1. It was driven by Brazil (up 10%), India (up 11%) and South Africa (up 9%).
The RTD category is expected to reach a 9% share of the TBA sector in the US by 2029, according to IWSR.
IWSR’s mid-year data covers 20 markets that represent approximately 75% of global alcohol volumes: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, the UK and the US.
IWSR noted growth for several spirits subcategories including Irish whiskey (up 2%), Indian whisky (up 7%), bitters/aperitif-based spirits (up 3%) and agave-based spirits (up 1%).
Irish whiskey’s growth was driven by markets including the UK (up 8%), India (up 23%) and Japan (up 27%). Volumes in the US, the category’s biggest market, were down by 1%.
Growth for Indian whisky was driven by its home market, while agave spirits were boosted by premium-and-above price tiers, which rose by 2%.
No-alcohol ‘spirits’ volumes grew by 9%, led by 15% growth in Germany and a 19% increase in the US.
TBA growth was boosted by India, which rose by 7%, while the premium-and-above segment in the market rose by 8%.
Other markets with TBA volume growth during H1 2025 included South Africa (up 4%), Mexico (up 2%), Thailand (up 1%) and Colombia (up 1%).
Several markets saw TBA declines including China, which was down by 2%. The US also posted a 4% decrease and Germany declined by 5%.
IWSR chief operating officer of research, Emily Neill, said: “The current beverage alcohol landscape shows significant polarisation. RTDs are growing, but beer is softening. Spirits are resilient overall, but the fortunes of the different subcategories vary significantly. Apart from Prosecco, wine is shrinking.
“Despite consistent volume pressures, especially in China and the United States, pockets of growth are still evident in Mexico, South Africa, and especially India. IWSR now forecasts India’s TBA volume to surpass Japan in 2027 and Germany in 2033.”
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