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When Ontarians wanted to have a tipple in 2024 they often reached for the hard stuff, according to the LCBO’s top alcoholic beverage trends of the year.
Tequila continued to have strong growth, albeit slower than previous years – up 6% this year compared to 16% in 2023 – while American whiskey was up 7%, partly driven by popular limited releases throughout the year.
And while customers’ wine preferences changed, with a shift away from heavier styles, local Ontario ice wine deviated from this trend with a consistent upward trend since 2022 – up 7% in the last year and 29% since 2022.
The demand for smaller formats for those who don’t want to commit to a full-size bottle also led to the LCBO expanding the selection of smaller formats, now offering 43 375ml wines and 200 375ml and under spirits.
Ready-to-Drink products, which include pre-mixed cocktails and coolers, remained popular throughout the year, but cocktails, up 7%, stand out as the fastest growing segment.
When it comes to beer, a standout trend was the growth of de-alcoholic beer, up 69%, supported by the influx of new products over the past year such as Guinness 0 and some local favorites such as Bellwoods Jelly King Non-Alcoholic Sour, and Muskoka Brewery Veer Lager with Lime.
Products with no alcohol saw growth of 73% over the last year and 189% growth since 2022.
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December is a peak sales period for no- or low-alcoholic options as many Ontarians want to partake in celebrations without alcohol, so the LCBO has launched an additional six dealcoholized products for the holiday season, including our first local cider.
“This year’s product trends could be described as Ontarians seeking products that were unique, lighter and smaller in size” the LBCO’s Vice President of Merchandising Abhay Garg said in a statement.
“We watch trends closely and aim to curate an assortment that provides perfect choices for everyone.”