In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 most consumed alcohols in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of the global alcohol industry, the most consumed liquor brands in the world, the largest alcohol company in the world, and the fastest growing alcohol category, and go directly to the 5 Most Consumed Alcohols in the World.
Whether it’s Sunday brunch, Saturday night at the club, or Friday night with a few co-workers, the opportunities to take a drink are endless and engrained in the fabric of many facets of society. Alcohol’s frequent link with birthdays, sporting events, and other occasions has made it a mainstay in popular culture. From movies and TV shows to advertisements and social media, booze is frequently used as a symbol of celebration, relaxation, and socialization.
The Global Alcohol Industry:
In 2019, the global alcohol consumption, measured in liters of pure alcohol per person of 15 years of age or older, was 5.5 liters, which is a 4.7% relative decrease from 5.7 liters in 2010. According to Allied Market Research, the global alcoholic beverages market size was valued at $1.62 trillion in 2021, and the market is projected to reach $2 trillion by 2031, with a CAGR of 2.2% during the forecast period.
The market is likely to be driven by the increasing global young-adult demographic, coupled with high disposable income and consumer demand for premium/super-premium products. Globally, beer drives the market for alcoholic beverages. Regionally, North America and Asia-Pacific are expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.
Most Consumed Liquor Brand in the World:
With 100.9 million 9-liter cases sold worldwide in 2022, Jinro Soju is the Most Popular Spirit Brand in the World. There are many reasons why Jinro Soju is so popular. One is that it is a very versatile drink. It can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or mixed with other beverages. It is also very affordable, which makes it a popular choice for the price-conscious consumers. Additionally, the taste of Jinro Soju is very smooth and refreshing, making it the go-to drink for many people.
In 2022, HiteJinro's revenue from soju sales amounted to approximately $1.13 billion and made up the largest share of its sales revenue.
Largest Alcohol Company in the World:
With total sales of $57.79 billion last year, Anheuser-Busch InBev Sa/NV (NYSE:BUD) is the Largest Alcohol Company in the World in 2023. The beer behemoth had a global production volume of 595 million hectoliters, or over 25% of the global beer production in 2022.
The company has been facing some headwinds in the American market after the recent controversy regarding its best-selling brand Bud Light, which resulted in the iconic brand losing its crown as America’s Best-Selling Beer after nearly two decades. However, as we mentioned in our article – 17 Countries with the Highest Percentage of Non-Drinkers– billionaire Bill Gates’ portfolio managers decided to initiate a $96 million position in the firm during the second quarter.
Broyhill Asset Management said the following about Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) in its second quarter 2023 investor letter:
“The largest detractors to performance over the quarter were First Horizon Corp (FHN), Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD), and Bayer (BAYRY). Problems at Anheuser Busch InBev began on April 1 with Dylan Mulvaney’s social media post, which ignited a fiery backlash amongst Bud Light customers across ‘Merica. With volumes down sharply, and competitors gaining share at BUD’s expense, operational deleveraging is set to weigh heavily on US margins amid peak demand pressure in the second quarter. Despite severe US headwinds (second-quarter operating profit maybe half of last year’s levels), we still expect BUD to grow consolidated operating profit at a mid-single-digit rate for the full year. With current issues well understood and investor sentiment in the gutters, we see significant upside in a stock, which is approaching a double-digit FCF yield. With FX headwinds and rising input costs reversing course, increasing margins are likely to drive positive surprises into FY24 as continued deleveraging accrues more value to shareholders.”
Fastest Growing Alcohol Category:
Ready-to-drink beverages continue to make headlines as the fastest-growing alcohol beverage category. While malt-based RTDs still retain a 91% share by volume in the American RTD market, spirit-based RTDs grew by 51% in 2021, approximately double the growth of the wine-and malt-based categories. As we mentioned in our article – 12 Best Alcohol Stocks to Own According to Hedge Funds– the spirits-based RTDs are expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% in volume in the U.S. by 2025.
A great example of a spirit-based RTD is the good ol’ Jack & Coke. Although the beloved cocktail has been a quintessential serve at every bar for a long time, it is now also available in the form of a pre-mixed, canned RTD – courtesy of a joint venture between the Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B) and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO).
Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola RTD made its U.S. debut in March this year in 12-oz. cans (7% ABV), and Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar also became available in May. Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B) and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) took a test-and learn-approach for the initial launch, applying lessons from a single-country rollout in Mexico to a global scaling strategy, bringing the product to 13 countries in 12 months.
Stocks of Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B) were held by 30 hedge funds at the end of Q2 in the Insider Monkey database, with Fundsmith LLP holding the largest stake of over 12.19 million shares, valued at $814.41 million. Both the Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B) and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) rank among the Largest Beverage Companies in the World in 2023.
With that said, here are the Most Popular Alcoholic Beverages in the World.
Data on consumption itself is not available. However, market sizes of different alcohol beverages directly translates to consumption levels. Therefore, we've used market sizes as proxy. To collect data for this article, we have referred to a number of sources, such as Future Market Insights, Allied Market Research, Grand View Research etc., looking for the Most Popular Alcohols in the World. We ranked the following alcoholic beverages by the total size of their respective global markets in 2022.
20. Mead
Global Market Size in 2022: $432.4 million
Possibly the ancestor of all alcoholic beverages, mead has enjoyed audiences across history. And while its popularity waned in recent centuries, the modern era has seen a resurgence in this ancient, golden-hued drink. Reports from the American Mead Makers Association (AMMA) indicate that on average, a meadery opens in the US every 3 days, signaling the beginnings of a potential new trend in craft mead production.
19. Pisco
Global Market Size in 2022: $730.8 million
Pisco is a South American brandy distilled from fermented grape juice using specific grape varietals. It has been produced exclusively in Peru and Chile for centuries. Both countries lay claim to pisco's origins and adhere to regulations that produce distinct styles.
18. Arak
Global Market Size in 2022: $1.3 billion
Arak is made by extracting anise seeds in grape brandy and is considered by many to be one of the first flavored spirits ever made. A new generation of boutique distilleries is hoping to bring the classic Middle Eastern drink to fresh audiences and to celebrate arak’s heritage with World Arak Day, which was celebrated on June 27th this year, for the first time ever.
17. Ouzo
Global Market Size in 2022: $1.58 billion
Ouzo is a Greek drink made from wine-making grape remains distilled into a kind of grappa. This grappa is given an anise flavor in a second heating and the resulting drink is sweet and silky, with an alcohol percentage of around 40%.
Ouzo has consistently been the primary export of the Greek distilling industry, comprising 61% of the total value and 70% of the total quantity of Greek spirits exported in 2022.
16. Cachaça
Global Market Size in 2022: $3.07 billion
Made from fresh sugarcane juice which is fermented and distilled, cachaça gets its aroma and flavor from the Brazilian woods it's stored in. Brazil’s national drink shows up in spicy-sweet sips all over the world, but it's best-known as the main ingredient in a Caipirinha cocktail.
Soju is often called the Korean vodka, since it's smooth, mild, and mostly neutral, but it clocks in at about half the alcohol content. Exports of South Korea’s traditional liquor witnessed a 13.2% YoY increase in 2022 and reached $93.3 million.
Soju is one of the Most Consumed Alcoholic Drinks.
14. Shochu
Global Market Size in 2022: $6.73 billion
Shochu is Japan’s indigenous distilled spirit and has been around for about 500 years. It is most predominately made in Japan’s southern regions of Okinawa and Kyushu, where it was first developed. Major Japanese shochu manufacturers include Kirishima Shuzo, Sanwa Shurui, and Oenon Holdings.
13. Sake
Global Market Size in 2022: $8.81 billion
Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. It consists of four ingredients – rice, water, yeast, and a mold called koji. China is the largest importer of sake in the world, followed by the U.S., and Taiwan. The growth in China can be attributed to the continuous growth in the popularity of sake among younger generations and the upper class as a ‘high-end’ alcoholic beverage.
12. Cognac and Brandy
Global Market Size in 2022: $12.1 billion
Produced from white grapes grown across the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments of western France, cognac is a protected category of brandy that must meet the requirements of the AOC in order to bear the region’s name on its label.
The global volumes of cognac dropped by 4.8% in 2022 to 212.5 million bottles, as the world grappled with rising inflation, an energy crisis, and the aftershocks of the pandemic, with China still facing lockdown restrictions late into the year.
11. Hard Seltzer
Global Market Size in 2022: $14.39 billion
Whether it's television and YouTube commercials or social media posts, it's hard to escape the latest alcoholic beverage craze – hard seltzer. This popular alcoholic drink combines alcohol with flavored carbonated water. Compared to many other alcoholic drinks, hard seltzer is lower in alcohol content, calories, and sugar.
White Claw is the most popular hard seltzer brand in the world, with 59 million 9-liter cases sold in 2022.
10. Tequila
Global Market Size in 2022: $14.7 billion
Tequila's popularity has been on the rise in the United States for years, and in 2021 it surpassed whiskey in retail sales, making it the second best-selling spirit behind vodka. The growth in popularity of tequila can be attributed to a number of factors, including the expansion of the premium spirits market, the introduction of new flavors, and a greater social media presence.
Tequila sits among the Top 7 Liquors.
9. Gin
Global Market Size in 2022: $15.3 billion
We can think of three main reasons for gin's popularity - taste, versatility, and the sheer variety of gins. The United Kingdom is the largest exporter of gin in the world. According to His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data, gin exports from the U.K. hit $879 million last year, up from $651 million in 2021. Here are theMost Popular Gin Brands in 2023.
Gin is counted among the Top 10 Most Consumed Alcohols in the World.
8. Rum
Global Market Size in 2022: $17.4 billion
Consumer perception of the rum category has evolved in recent years. While rum sales are still dominated by major producers, consumer preferences are shifting away from value options and towards an appreciation for craft and aged rums. Made from fermented sugar cane juice, rum also provides a key function in cocktail culture.
Now, it seems like every season is cider season, as the beverage has risen in popularity significantly over the last decade. Cider is a popular alcoholic beverage category and the U.K. off-trade value sales growth of 5.2% over the past year backs this up. Some 47.8% of all U.K. households now regularly buy cider – up from 45.5% last year.
6. Vodka
Global Market Size in 2022: $25.98 billion
Vodka is the most consumed liquor in the United States - and has been since 1970. Around 78.1 million cases of the spirit were sold in the U.S. in 2021.
