Q1 2025 Beer, Spirits & NA Beverage Performance & Trends – 3Tier Beverages via NIQ
In this exclusive quarterly deep dive curated for Brewbound Insiders, 3Tier Beverages breaks down the latest trends shaking up the beverage industry.
In this exclusive quarterly deep dive curated for Brewbound Insiders, 3Tier Beverages breaks down the latest trends shaking up the beverage industry.
The On Premise universe grew in December, particularly driven by openings of Casual dining outlets, which were the most common venue type.
The once-booming flavored malt beverage (FMB) segment is “showing some concerning declarations over recent weeks,” Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) founder Bump Williams noted in a recent report. FMB volume gains dropped by half – from +2.2%, to +1.1% – from the four-week period to the one-week period ending May 18, according to NIQ retail measurement data cited by BWC.
The majority of adult non-alcoholic (ANA) beverage buyers are new consumers to the category, suggesting opportunities for suppliers looking to have a greater impact on the category, according to new data from market research firm NIQ.
Beverage-alcohol had a nearly universally down year in 2025. The few exceptions were adult non-alcoholic (ANA) and ready-to-drink (RTD) bev-alc, which further solidified their staying power beyond quick consumer trends, according to NIQ’s 2025 Year in Review report.
Bars and restaurants saw a boost in sales this holiday season compared to 2024, according to the latest report from CGA, the on-premise arm of market research firm NIQ.
Import beer’s unstable 2025 came to a positive end for some top brands this December, according to the latest report from market research firm NIQ.
Here are some news items that were initially reported in the Brewbound Insider Newsletter January 5-6, including updates from Uncle Nearest, NIQ, Blake’s Beverage and more.
Many bars and restaurants close their doors December 25, but the Christmas holiday still historically provides a boost for bev-alc sales in the on-premise, according to CGA, the on-premise arm of market research firm NIQ.
The on-premise has provided some bright spots for bev-alc in 2025, with consumers still willing to spend their dollars at bars and restaurants despite curtailing purchasing more drastically in the off-premise.
Beverage-alcohol “is on the chopping block” for consumers this Thanksgiving, with more than a third of consumers planning to not purchase alcoholic beverages at all, according to market research firm NIQ.
If the beer industry had a dollar for every time someone said “we’re controlling what we can control,” the category would possibly be in the black this year.
When nearly everyone is in decline, success has to be measured by whomever has the smallest losses. And those winners within beverage-alcohol are the companies with the most focused portfolios, according to Bump Williams Consulting’s (BWC) latest monthly report.
The beverage-alcohol landscape doesn’t slow down, even when categories do. In this latest quarterly installment of 3 Up, 3 Down, 3 Tier Beverages takes a data-driven look at what’s gaining momentum – and what’s losing ground – across beer, wine, spirits, and non-alc (NA), with NIQ off-premise data through August 9, 2025.
The growth of spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) may be slowing. However, the segment’s impact on the beer category is far from abating, according to bev-alc consulting and data firm 3 Tier Beverages.
Spirits-based RTD growth peaked in 2020, with dollar sales growth of more than 150% in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels (total U.S. xAOC plus liquor plus convenience), 3 Tier Beverages consultant Erin McVickers shared in a webinar last week. Growth then progressively slowed, but the segment was still able to more than double dollar sales from 2021 (nearly $1.53 billion) to 2024 (nearly $3.19 billion).
Consumers’ interest in single-serve and other “alternatives to the norm” in package sizes could be a sticky trend across not just beer, but other bev-alc categories as well, according to the latest monthly report from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC).
Bev-alc sales continued to decline in the two-week period ending August 9, although cider and ready-to-drink (RTD) spirits are still enjoying a slight summer boost, according to analysis of NIQ data from Goldman Sachs Equity Research.