Russian sweet-liqueur sales rise 21.5% to 2.44 million decaliters

Sweet liqueurs outperform a declining alcohol market

Retail sales of sweet infused spirits in Russia increased by 21.5% year on year in January–July 2026, reaching 2.44 million decaliters, according to alcohol-market participant data cited by Kommersant. The category was among the fastest-growing parts of the Russian spirits market even as overall alcohol demand declined.

The pace accelerated in July, when sales rose by 27.4% to 390,610 decaliters. Semi-sweet infused spirits recorded a more moderate increase of 5.6% during the first seven months of the year, reaching 574,250 decaliters. Bitter varieties, which remained the largest of the three reported segments, slipped by 0.4% to 3.03 million decaliters.

D.I.S.T. Spirits estimated that total sales across the broader infused-spirits category amounted to 6.69 million decaliters in January–July, up 7.5% from the same period a year earlier. Sweet products therefore grew substantially faster than both semi-sweet and bitter alternatives, pointing to a clear change in the category mix.

Price and alcohol strength support demand

Alcohol-market expert Sergei Gladyschuk said almost all Russian spirits producers were showing interest in making infused products. Their appeal to manufacturers reflects the category’s unusual growth at a time when much of the wider market is contracting, increasing competition for shelf space and consumer attention.

Ladoga attributed the increase partly to affordability. These drinks generally have an alcohol content no higher than 28%, allowing producers to offer shelf prices that consumers find attractive. That positioning is particularly relevant as weaker household purchasing power puts pressure on discretionary spending and encourages shoppers to seek less expensive alternatives.

The figures indicate that growth is concentrated rather than universal. Bitter-infused spirits have not shared the momentum, while semi-sweet products are expanding much more slowly than sweet varieties. Producers considering additional capacity or new brands will therefore need to distinguish between the individual segments instead of treating all infused spirits as a single growth market.

Home cocktails broaden the occasion

D.I.S.T. Spirits Vice-President Alevtina Khasanova linked higher demand to the development of at-home cocktail consumption in Russia. Sales are also rising in categories traditionally associated with mixed drinks, including rum and gin. Kommersant reported that declining visits to food-service venues provide an additional backdrop for consumers preparing drinks at home.

Andrei Moskovsky, president of the Alcopro guild, offered a more cautious interpretation, arguing that infused spirits are used in cocktails less frequently and that this factor is therefore not decisive. The disagreement suggests that affordability and changing drinking occasions may be reinforcing each other, rather than cocktail use alone explaining the increase.

Adjacent categories also expand

Russia’s production of alcoholic cocktails increased by 11.53% in 2025 to 2.56 million decaliters despite an almost fourfold excise increase in 2024, Kommersant reported. Ladoga expanded its output almost 309-fold, while the Novokuznetsk Distillery increased production by more than 17 times, illustrating how rapidly suppliers have entered or scaled up in the segment.

Aperitif sales rose by 50.2% to 1.48 million decaliters in January–November 2025. Ladoga President Veniamin Grabar associated that growth with consumers moving away from wine and with the share of Russian aperitifs increasing from 76.6% to 86.1%. In January 2026, strong-alcohol sales rose by 4.1% to 10 million decaliters, including a 1.9% increase in vodka to 6 million and a 17.7% rise in liqueur and spirits products to 1.71 million decaliters. Together, these figures show demand shifting toward flavored and cocktail-related formats, while competitive conditions remain difficult across the wider alcohol market.