Total volume sales of alcoholic drinks saw a second consecutive year of stagnation in Spain in 2024, following robust growth in 2022. A key factor contributing to this performance was the sustained high levels of inflation seen in the latter part of the review period, especially in the grocery retail environment. The price of alcoholic drinks continued to increase due to supply chain disruptions and shortages of basic products and raw materials, including apples for the production of cider, for example. Inflation and the continuous rise in the cost of living led consumers to be more cautious in their spending. Despite economic constraints, the premiumisation trend persisted in alcoholic drinks, particularly in beer, with a growing interest in craft beer and non/low alcohol beer, as well as in some spirits such as tequila and liqueurs.
Beer remains the most consumed category of alcoholic drinks in Spain. In 2024, Spain's beer consumption exhibited notable trends influenced by increasing consumer health consciousness and the expansion of the tourism industry. A significant shift was observed as traditional beer consumption declined while the popularity of Clara (beer mixed with lemonade or soda) increased. This change reflects a growing preference for beverages with a lower alcohol content, driven by health considerations. The tourism sector played a pivotal role in bolstering overall demand for beer despite the decrease in traditional beer consumption amongst local residents at the end of the review period. Tourists’ significant contribution to beer consumption more than compensated for the decline observed amongst the local population. In addition, Spain maintained its position as a leader in non/low alcohol beer consumption per capita in Western Europe. The demand for these products continued to increase, reflecting the strength of the country's health and wellness trends. Overall, while traditional beer consumption faced challenges, the Spanish beer market adapted to evolving consumer preferences, with non alcoholic and low alcohol options gaining traction, and tourism providing a substantial boost to the industry's resilience.
Mahou SA was the largest player in alcoholic drinks in volume terms in Spain in 2024 thanks to its leading role in the high-volume beer category. Indeed, the top three players in alcoholic drinks overall during the year were all brewers, with Heineken España SA and Damm SA joining Mahou at the top of the rankings. In 2024, Mahou introduced several notable innovations in the alcoholic beverages sector. A significant development was the launch of YouBrew, a pioneering service that allows consumers to create 100% customised beers. With an investment exceeding EUR1.5 million, YouBrew enables users to design their beer from the recipe to the label, offering up to 1,000 possible combinations by adjusting parameters such as colour, bitterness intensity, and alcohol level. This initiative reflects the company's commitment to providing unique and personalised experiences to its customers. New innovations such as this have helped Mahou to maintain its position as the overall leader within alcoholic drinks in Spain in total volume terms.
Spanish citizens have become more price sensitive while proximity shopping has remained key, which is a habit that has developed in line with the high inflation seen in Spain. Supermarkets accounted for by far the largest share of alcoholic drinks volume sales in 2024. The popularity of these stores is supported by a combination of convenience and affordability. In the midst of hectic modern lifestyles, consumers appreciate the convenience of purchasing alcoholic drinks alongside products such as groceries, tissue and hygiene products and home care products on regular shopping trips. At the same time, supermarkets generally offer competitive prices for products such as alcoholic drinks. However, it was noticeable that supermarkets lost share to discounters, which focus strongly on aggressive pricing policies, in the highly budget-conscious environment prevailing at the end of the review period. The affordability of discounters is reinforced by a strong private label offer of alcoholic drinks at competitive prices.
On-trade volume sales of alcoholic drinks continued to exceed off-trade sales in 2024. Two main factors shaped drinking in the on-trade environment in Spain at the end of the review period. On the one hand, Spain is enjoying unprecedented levels of interest from international tourists, with 2024 setting a new record for international visits to the country. On the other hand, Spain has a strong tradition of locals socialising outside the home, with people often meeting friends and enjoying tapas in bars and cafés, for example.
Total volume sales of alcoholic drinks are expected to stagnate in Spain over the forecast period. Growth is expected in categories such as RTDs and non-alcoholic options in the beer, wine, and spirits categories. Beer, which is set to remain by far the largest category in volume terms, is expected to exceed pre-pandemic volume sales by 2025 with growth driven by the expansion of on-trade sales, itself supported by the ongoing increase in tourism in the country. Sales of wine are not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels over the forecast period, however, with consumers increasingly switching to lower alcohol options, or focusing on quality over quantity within wine, which is limiting volume sales in the category. This reflects the growing influence of the health and wellness trend across alcoholic drinks. For similar reasons, spirits is not expected to see a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the forecast period, either. As well as consumers shifting their preferences towards beverages with a lower alcohol content, there is a possibility of increases in tariffs due to the changes in economic strategy of the new administration in the US, which could entail further increases in unit prices and thus make these beverages unattractive for already budget-conscious consumers. However, RTDs is projected to remain one of the most dynamic categories in alcoholic drinks in the Spanish market, with these products proving popular with a broad consumer base, as well as benefiting from an expanding range of products, including no/low alcohol varieties. While traditional alcoholic drinks categories are struggling to maintain the interest of younger generations for reasons of health awareness and perceptions that they are old-fashioned, RTDs is benefiting from the interest in novel flavours and convenience, as well as the evolving cocktail trend, amongst demographics such as Gen Z
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Alcoholic Drinks
Alcoholic drinks is the aggregation of beer, wine, spirits, cider/perry and RTDs.
See all of our definitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Alcoholic Drinks research and analysis database.
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