Control and sale of alcoholic beverages

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Beer and liquor stores and agencies sold $18.8 billion worth of alcoholic beverages during the year ending March 31, 2008, up 4.3% from the previous year.

The growth in dollar value reflected a combination of three factors. These were: increased sales of imported spirits, wine and beer compared with domestic products; a 1.4% increase in the population aged 15 and over; and a 1.8% average increase in alcoholic beverage prices during the fiscal year.

In litres of absolute alcohol, the volume of sales of alcoholic beverages increased 2.2% to 222.9 million litres.

The net income realized by provincial and territorial liquor authorities, combined with other alcohol-related revenue such as liquor licences and permits, hit $5.2 billion in 2007/2008, up 4.6% from the previous year. Nunavut, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan reported the largest increases.

Beer dominance weakening

Beer stores and agencies sold $8.6 billion worth of beer in 2007/2008, up 2.4% from the previous year. Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia were the largest contributors to this growth.

Beer remained by far the most popular alcoholic beverage in terms of both volume and dollar value, although its market share declined.

In 1993, beer accounted for 53% of dollar sales, spirits 29% and wine 18%. By 2008, beer's share had declined to 46%, while spirits had slipped to 25%. In contrast, wine had captured 29% of the market.

In terms of volume, Canadians bought 2.3 billion litres of beer, virtually unchanged from the previous year. On a per capita basis, beer sales have declined 27% from their peak of 115 litres in 1976 to 84 litres in 2008.

The growth in volume of sales of imported beer continued to outpace sales of domestic products. The volume of imported beer sold increased 7.2% in 2007/2008, while sales of domestic products remained virtually unchanged.

By volume, imported beer has more than doubled its market share in the last decade. In 2007/2008, foreign products captured 12.2% of the beer market in Canada, up from 5.6% in 1997/1998.

Red wines boost wine sales

Wineries and liquor stores and agencies sold $5.4 billion worth of wines in 2007/2008, up 7.3% from the previous year.

In terms of volume, Canadians bought 425.3 million litres of wine, a 4.9% increase. The growth in the sales of imported wine was more than twice the growth of domestic wine sales.

Much of the strength in wine sales can be attributed to the rising popularity of red wines. Sales of red wine, which includes both red and rosé wines, accounted for 62% of the total volume of red and white wine sold.

Dollar sales of red wine have more than doubled (+148%) since 2000, while white wine sales rose at a much slower pace (+44%) during the same period. Three-quarters of all red wines sold in Canada were from other countries, compared with just over 62% of white wines.

Vodka increases spirits sales

Liquor stores and agencies sold $4.7 billion worth of spirits in 2007/2008, up 4.4% from the previous year. This gain was due mainly to a 9.1% increase in vodka sales.

The volume of sales of spirits increased 2.3% in 2007/2008 to 210.8 million litres. Canadian products represented 69% of these sales.

Although domestic producers dominated the spirits market, the sales volume of imported spirits increased 8.7% to 65.4 million litres. Sales of Canadian spirits declined 0.4% to 145.4 million litres.

Whisky-type products, such as whisky, scotch and bourbon, were still the spirits of choice of Canadians, accounting for almost 28% of all spirits sales in 2007/2008. Canadian products accounted for almost 69% of whiskey-type product sales.

Available on CANSIM: tables 183-0006 and 183-0015 to 183-0020.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 1726.

Data tables on sales of alcoholic beverages are available from the National economic accounts module of our website.

Data are also available through custom and special tabulation. For more information on products and services, contact Client Services (613-951-0767; fe-pid-dipinfo@statcan.gc.ca), Public Sector Statistics Division.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Jo Ann MacMillan (613-951-0171; joann.macmillan@statcan.gc.ca), Public Sector Statistics Division.