DATA DRIVEN
Whiskey On Top , On- and Off-premise
by MELISSA DOWLING
As part of our ongoing tracking of the industry , the Beverage Information Group surveys our readers quarterly , collecting trends / sentiment data from distributors , on-premise and off-premise operators . While the consumer obsession with whiskey has slowed , it ’ s still the category whose increase in sales is most impacting business for both on- and off-premise operators , according to our most recent study conducted in October 2024 .
Retailers and restaurants were also in synch on the category ’ s whose decline in sales is most impacting business right now : domestic beer . Red wine came in second for off-premise respondents , while falling sales of craft beers were the number-two category of concern for the on-premise .
The plurality of store respondents ( 29 %) said that they would expand menu space for tequila if they could , while bars and restaurants cited whiskey as the category that they ’ d make more room for . Craft beer was a priority for both on- and off-premise participants .
When it comes to popular beer styles , lager beat IPA for both the retailers and restaurants , although the gap was narrow for the stores . And despite all of the buzz about white wines , cabernet sauvignon was the most popular wine varietal or style for both segments , though cab tied with chardonnay for the on-premise .
This past quarter proved better for quarter for the on-premise , as 19 % said their beverage sales were above plan vs . just 11 % of off-premise ; 62 % of the restaurants said they met their sales plan , compared with 44 % of retailers . While the plurality of respondents for both segments said they would likely meet sales expectations for 2024 , more of the off-premise participants ( 14 %) said sales this year would likely exceed expectations vs . just 6 % of the on-premise .
For more information about our beverage reader surveys and for pricing information about adding questions to upcoming surveys , contact Debbie Rittenberg at drittenberg @ epgacceleration . com .
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR MOST RECENT QUARTERLY BEVERAGE SALES RELATIVE TO PLAN ?
Below plan 18.8 %
Below plan 44.4 %
ON-PREMISE
On plan 62.5 %
Above plan 18.8 %
OFF-PREMISE
Above plan 11.1 %
On plan 44.4 %
WHAT CATEGORY ’ S INCREASE IN SALES IS MOST IMPACTING YOUR BUSINESS RIGHT NOW ? ( TOP 5 )
30 % |
27.80 % |
30 % |
27.80 % |
25 % |
|
25 % |
|
20 % |
16.70 % |
20 % |
19.40 % |
15 %
10 %
|
11.10 % |
11.10 % 11.10 % |
15 %
10 %
|
11.10 % 11.10 % |
13.90 % |
5 % |
|
|
|
|
5 % |
|
|
2.80 % |
0 % |
Imported Beer |
Craft Beer |
Whiskey
Hard seltzers / flavored malt beverages
|
Other |
0 % |
Imported Beer |
Craft Beer |
Vodka Whiskey Tequila Other |
6 Beverage Dynamics • Winter 2024 www . beveragedynamics . com