The continued popularity of at-home drinking and the flourishing of cocktail culture are creating growth opportunities for white spirits and niche categories, while dark spirits can tap into market potential through flavour education and imaginative food pairings.
Marta Zhang, Senior Analyst, China Insights
Market Definitions
This report includes all foreign spirits (distilled alcoholic beverages) and liqueurs (flavoured with fruits and herbs) that are produced abroad and sold in China, including retail and on-premise (hotels, restaurants and cafés) channels.
- Anis/absinthe includes absinthe, arak and similar spirits
- Brandy includes spirits derived from grapes/grape skins, such as cognac, armagnac, fruit-based brandies, traditional brandies and other related spirits
- Gin-based spirits include gin, Geneva and ginebra
- Rum/sugarcane-based spirits include white and dark rum, ron & caña, aguardiente and other local, sugarcane-based spirits
- Tequila includes all varieties of aged tequila
- Vodka-based spirits include premium, standard and lower-priced vodkas, aquavit and Scandinavian schnapps
- Whisky includes Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, bourbon and other regional whiskies
- Asian spirits include Japanese sake, Japanese shochu and Korean soju
The term, dark spirits, refers to spirits that generally acquire their unique colour and flavour through ageing in oak barrels. Common dark spirits include whisky/bourbon and brandy. The term, white spirits, refers to spirits that have not been aged or have only been aged for a short period, thus retaining a colourless or nearly colourless appearance. Common white spirits include vodka, gin, tequila (silver tequila) and white rum.
The market size only covers the Western spirits market, and excludes Asian spirits and the following categories:
- Fortified, rice, yellow and related wines made using some form of fermentation
- Ready-to-drink (RTD) mixers such as Breezers; RTD cocktails and long drinks
- Fortified wines (sherry, port, vermouth)
- Rice wine, yellow wine and other strong fermented wines
- Beer
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Executive summary
- Key issues in this Report
- Definitions
- What you need to know
- The market
- Market size: the Western spirits market continues to face pressures
- Graph 1: best- and worst-case forecast of retail value sales of Western spirits, 2020-30
- Graph 2: best- and worst-case forecast of non-retail value sales of Western spirits, 2020-30
- Market factors
- Market segments: brandy/cognac’s share of import value has declined significantly
- Graph 3: share of value of imports, Western spirits, 2021-25
- Companies and brands
- Brand performance
- Market highlights
- The consumer
- Overview of consumer habits
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The market
- Market size and forecast
- The Western spirits market remains under pressure
- Graph 4: best- and worst-case forecast of non-retail value sales of Western spirits, 2020-30
- Graph 5: best- and worst-case forecast of retail value sales of Western spirits, 2020-30
- Cocktails drive volume sales
- Graph 6: best- and worst-case forecast of non-retail volume sales of Western spirits, 2020-30
- Graph 7: best- and worst-case forecast of retail volume sales of Western spirits, 2020-30
- Market factors
- Macroeconomic factors
- Consumer confidence is stabilising as selective rational spending takes hold
- Graph 8: ways of improving financial situation, 2023-25
- Graph 9: confidence index* for improved financial situation in the next three months, 2020-25
- Consumers are continuing to drink at home
- Anti-dumping duties on EU brandy present opportunity for domestic brands
- New restrictions on official entertainment are driving transformations and improvements in the industry
- Market segments
- Dark spirits continue to dominate the market
- Graph 10: share of value of imports, Western spirits, 2021-25
- Imports of niche categories have increased significantly
- Graph 11: share of volume of imports, Western spirits, 2021-25
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Companies and brands
- Brand performance and market highlights
- Dark spirits, the mainstay of the sector, are showing sluggish performance; category expansion is key to making breakthroughs
- Ever-evolving domestic spirits – whisky
- Ever-evolving domestic spirits – other spirits
- Brands are cultivating cocktail culture, contributing to the development of the sector
- Brands are adopting a practical approach to promoting responsible drinking
- Dark spirits: maintaining a premium image
- Dark spirits: imaginative food pairings
- White spirits: miniatures are penetrating home cocktail culture
- White spirits: online and offline activities offer innovative cocktail experiences
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The consumer
- Consumer overview
- Overview of consumer trends
- Dark spirits dominate foreign spirit consumption; consumers are eager to try white spirits
- Graph 12: spirits consumption, 2025
- Those born between 1990-95 emerge as core spirits consumers
- Graph 13: spirits consumption – have drunk, by generation, 2025
- Men remain the main consumers of spirits; lower-tier cities hold untapped potential
- Graph 14: spirit consumption, by city tier, 2025
- Graph 15: spirit consumption, by gender, 2025
- Main demographics
- Health trends mean increasing emphasis on alcohol content over brand…
- Graph 16: purchase factors, 2018 vs 2025
- Graph 17: purchase factors, 2025
- …a shift particularly prominent among younger demographics
- Graph 18: purchase factors, by generation, 2025
- Production techniques can unlock premiums
- Graph 19: purchase factors – production process, by monthly personal income, 2025
- Notable production methods
- Dark spirits: becoming a way to ‘treat yourself’ as flavour education deepens consumer awareness
- ‘Treating yourself’ is becoming the primary motivation for consuming dark spirits
- Graph 20: reasons for purchase – dark spirits and Chinese baijiu, 2025
- Brandy: focus on authentic flavour-centric tasting experiences
- Graph 21: serving methods – dark spirits, 2025
- Local brandy is beginning to penetrate festival scenarios
- Looking ahead: creating new flavour experiences with Chinese cuisine
- Beyond neat – exploring cocktails and flavour variations in whisky
- Floral and fruity flavours are popular in China
- Graph 22: flavour preferences, 2024
- Graph 23: flavour preferences, 2025
- Product examples
- Looking ahead: connect with local flavour perceptions and deepen flavour education
- White spirits: ride the cocktail trend and seek growth in packaging and cobranding
- White spirits are more associated with everyday drinking than dark spirits
- Graph 24: top three reasons for purchase, 2025
- However, there is not much variety in how white spirits are served
- Graph 25: serving methods – white spirits, 2025
- UK and US consumers prefer using white spirits as a base for mixed drinks
- Graph 26: white spirit serving methods, 2024
- Graph 27: white spirit serving methods, 2025
- Provide detailed cocktail mixing guides and embrace co-creation
- Standard bottles meet the needs of most consumers; miniatures are perfect for a little treat
- Graph 28: bottle size preferences, 2025
- Smaller bottle sizes are preferred for at-home leisure scenarios
- Graph 29: bottle size preferences, 2025
- Premium miniatures: giving consumers a way to treat themselves
- Looking ahead: drive growth with creative co-branding
- Asian spirits: explore food pairings
- Japanese and Korean alcoholic drinks are often paired with meals
- Graph 30: reasons for purchase, 2025
- Graph 31: reasons for purchase, 2025
- Brands can leverage the popularity of Korean and Japanese cuisines to explore opportunities in lower-tier markets
- Graph 32: acceptance of international cuisines, 2025
- Offer recommendations for pairing Japanese/Korean cuisine with alcoholic drinks
- Looking ahead: pushing the boundaries of food and alcohol pairings
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Appendix – market size and forecast, research methodology and abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Market segments
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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