Thursday, 6 August, 2026
The Drinks Business, Jessica Mason
According to the latest figures from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), Ireland’s average alcohol consumption per adult fell by 2.1% last year to 9.30 litres of pure alcohol (LPA). This marks a drop of more than one third (35.6%) since consumption peaked in 2001.
Beer consumption continues to fall
The data has revealed that consumption habits are changing in Ireland and although beer was the most popular alcoholic drink of choice for Irish consumers last year, with a 42.1% market share, it actually experienced a 2.7% drop in total volume sales.
Wine’s popularity has more than doubled since 2000 and wine also remained the second most popular drink for the Irish and managed to increase its volume by 4% to give it a 29.4% market share.
Similarly, spirits saw a small lift in volume of 0.2%, giving it a 22.4% share of the market and cider saw its sales volumes dip by 0.2% but maintained a 6.1% market share.
Ireland is ‘no longer an international outlier for high alcohol consumption’
The report follows international data showing that alcohol consumption in Ireland is well within average European levels. Out of 17 EU countries plus the UK tracked by the OECD in 2023, 10 exceeded the Irish average consumption level for that year of 9.9 LPA, while seven were below it.
Click HERE to read the full article.