Alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks gain popularity in 10 countries: study

As the New Year brings the so-called Dry January movement, a recent study shows that alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks are becoming increasingly popular, especially among millennials.

While some people may be motivated by the Surgeon General’s January 3 advice linking alcohol consumption with an increased risk of cancer, findings from the IWSR’s no-alcohol and low-alcohol strategic study suggest the trend has been growing internationally since 2019, especially with non-alcohol. beer.

The IWSR bills itself as “the leading global provider of beverage data and information” and is based in London.

Susie Goldspink, head of alcohol-free and low-alcohol insights at IWSR, told Fox News Digital that “no-alcohol tends to outperform low-alcohol, and that’s across the board.”

Beer is the most established category of these non-traditional beverages, she said.

“And it’s kind of opened up really in terms of the taste and the quality of the product and just kind of the social acceptance of drinking non-alcoholic beer,” she said.

The study found that consumers of alcohol-free products will grow by 61 million buyers compared to 38 million for low alcohol between 2022 and 2024 in 10 key countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom the United States and the United States.

Alcohol-free sales are expected to grow by $4 billion by 2028 – while low-alcohol volumes remain largely static, according to the study.

“Some of the challenges low alcohol faces is confusion around ABV [alcohol by volume] and if you’re actually getting less alcohol with this drink,” Goldspink said.

In contrast, she said, “no alcohol, you know what it says in [container]. And you know that if you’re trying to avoid alcohol or moderate alcohol, this product will be right for you.”

Learn the difference between low alcohol and no alcohol

How much alcohol is in low-alcohol offerings, and is there absolutely zero alcohol in soft drinks?

Before trying low- or no-alcohol products, it’s important to understand the differences between them, experts said.

Derek Brown, a Washington, D.C.-based mixologist and author of “Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to Alcohol-Free and Non-Alcoholic Cocktails,” told Fox News Digital that the adult beverage market can be a “muddy world.” , but he offered a simple explanation.

Low alcohol is about half the traditional amount of a single malt drink, while no alcohol is defined as 0.5% ABV, Brown said.

“Now, if it says alcohol-free, that means there’s no trace of alcohol. So it’s 0.0.”

With improved quality comes increased demand

Although these non-traditional beverages have gained interest in recent years, they are still only about 3% of the total beverage market, Goldspink said.

Older generations have shown a resistance to low-alcohol or no-alcohol products, but as these drinks become more accessible and plentiful, the barriers that have surrounded the drinks are diminishing with a new generation of consumers, Goldspink said.

“I think the stigma is diminishing rapidly,” Goldspink said.

There was a time, Brown said, when these kinds of drinks just weren’t good.

“Bartenders of the past – I’m sorry, you let people down with your drinks,” Brown admitted. “They weren’t good, and some were because you made them on the spot with a little grenadine and a little pineapple juice. This is not a good cocktail without alcohol.”

However, times have changed, Brown said.

“There are really great mocktails out there and now there are bartenders who are making extraordinary ones [drinks]”, Brown said. “Some of the best bartenders in the country, frankly, are doing it. We are talking about Michelin star restaurants. We’re talking about the top bars in the country doing it.”

An example of improved quality is the “innovative” methods that some brewers are using. Brown noted that Oregon-based Wilderton is the first non-alcoholic distillery in the US

“So they’re distilling the product the same way you would with any really high-end liquor,” he said. “And they built a distillery to do it. This is not cheap.”

Drinks can cost as much or more than traditional alcohol

The high-quality, low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages being produced these days come at a cost to the consumer.

“I think initially there was some resistance to the pricing and the fact that it’s almost the same price as alcohol,” Goldspink said.

But ongoing efforts to create appealing low- and no-alcohol cocktails, spirits and malts should encourage any consumer on the fence about whether these offerings are worth the price.

“People are price conscious these days. I am too. So I understand that,” Brown said.

“But I want people to know that they are absolutely putting quality and effort into these. And, in some cases, they are more expensive than alcohol. Is this a scam? That, I guess, depends on the viewer.”

Brown argued that these low- and no-alcohol producers “have to go the extra mile.”

“They need to do more than spirits and wines with alcohol,” he said.

Ultimately, Brown said, there is no threat to traditional alcohol, which he believes will continue to have a place on store shelves for years to come.

He sees low-alcohol and alcohol-free products as an alternative rather than a replacement for beer, spirits and wine.

“There are still bad products out there, just like there are bad alcoholic cocktails sometimes,” Brown said.

“The fact is, just because you taste one thing and you don’t like it — you can’t throw out an entire category.”