Germany Spirits Market Report 2026
Moderation continues to shape spirit consumption, with Germany's spirit market shrinking in volume and value in 2025.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for spirits
- Opportunities
- Make spirits permissible for casual consumption
- Brighten flavour appeal
- Redefine enjoyment for the modern consumer
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THE MARKET
- Snapshot – market size and forecast
- Consumers and the economic outlook
- Graph 1: CPI of selected alcoholic drinks, by segment, 2020-25
- Increasingly product-literate Germans are hungry for information
- Younger Germans break traditions
- Alcohol moderation turns to abstinence
- Graph 2: limitation/reduction of the amount of alcohol drunk in the last 12 months, by generation, 2024 vs 2025
- Germans are in need of ‘Feierabend’
- Market size and forecast
- Functionality-driven Germans are drinking less
- Graph 3: retail value sales of spirits, 2020-25
- Value sales are declining
- Graph 4: retail market value forecast for spirits, 2019-30
- Volumes sales continue their slip
- Graph 5: retail market volume forecast for spirits, 2019-30
- Slide in retail value of all Spirits
- Graph 6: retail value sales of spirits, by segment, 2024-25
- Spirits are in need of modern novelty appeal
- Private label gains on big players
- Graph 7: company shares of retail value sales, in %, 2024-25
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THE CONSUMER
- How age and gender divide drinking habits
- Spirit drinking follows the age curve
- Gen X is shying away from spirits
- Create a connection for uninspired women
- Sugar concerns affect mixed drinks as neat consumption prevails
- Neat drinks beat long drinks
- Graph 8: ways of consuming white or dark spirits, by type of spirit, 2026
- Long drinks go skinny
- Fruit brandies go mixed
- Graph 9: ways of consuming fruit brandies/spirits, 2024 vs 2026
- Spirits need a flavour makeover
- Split opinions on taste
- Old is gold
- Mix up the mash
- Trust the process to keep spirits exciting
- Processing is a quality indicator for spirits
- Hard kombucha opens up possibilities
- Raise the bar on sustainability
- Provenance can be premiumised
- Unlocking casual occasions
- Spirit drinkers stick to home comforts
- Serve spirits with meals
- Stir up cocktail knowledge
- Graph 10: type of drinks spirits where consumed as, by location of spirits consumption, 2026
- Fuel the party
- Be part of the small moments
- Botanical spirits bloom in the wellness wave
- Spirits are missing the fun factor
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Whiskey soars whilst vodka slips…
- Graph 11: launch activity of spirits, by type, 2020-25
- …and bold players hit the shelves
- Gin pays homage
- A fruity rejuvenation
- Don’t miss out on moderation
- Graph 12: unit pack size of spirit launches, 2020-25
- Graph 13: ABV content of spirit launches, 2020-25
- Jägermeister grabs the deer by the horns
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APPENDIX
- The market
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – volume
- Market size of spirits, by segment – value
- Market size of spirits, by segment – volume
- Company shares – value
- Company shares – volume
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology – EMEA
- Repertoire analysis methodology
- Germany, generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Mintel Spark
- Abbreviations
- A note on language – Germany
"To offset declining volumes, spirit brands must pivot towards permissibility, leveraging low-ABV options, smaller formats and casual positioning. Flavour-led innovation plays a key role in maintaining accessibility and trial."
Jack Friedlein, Analyst - Food & Drink
Moderation continues to shape spirit consumption, with Germany’s spirit market shrinking in volume and value in 2025. Even as economic conditions stabilise and on-trade shows signs of recovery, cautious financial confidence and budget pressure are driving consumers towards private label and mid-range brands. With only 35% of spirit drinkers viewing spirits as classy, traditional luxury cues are losing traction, forcing brands to prove value through production, provenance and local credibility.
Taste remains a key driver of choice, but preferences are fragmented. Younger drinkers favour fruit-forward, lighter profiles, while neat spirits polarise Germans on taste. Rising sugar concerns also push consumers towards lighter mixers, requiring spirits to deliver flavour more directly. This is accelerating interest in fruit-led and modernised local styles, such as fruit brandies.
However, rising abstention and Germany’s ageing population point to continued long-term volume pressure, raising the stakes for brands that fail to adapt. As a result, the clearest opportunity lies in lower-ABV and smaller formats that make spirits feel more permissible and fit casual, inclusive occasions.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Market drivers for spirits, including broader shifts in flavour trends, alcohol moderation, and consumer financial confidence
- Market size, forecast and segmentation of spirits, with volume and value sales under pressure
- Usage of spirits, exploring usage occasions and locations
- Product features that interest consumers, focusing on added novelty and ethical factors
- Attitudes and behaviours towards spirits, discussing quality indicators in relation to flavour profiles
- Trends in launch activity and opportunities for further innovation in the spirits industry
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