CGA by NIQ has published data from its On-Premise Management (OPM) service which explores the on-premise performance of spirits categories in 2023 across key Australian states, revealing a decline of 6.8 per cent in sales volumes across 2023 following a 10.2 per cent price increase per 30ml.
Although spirits sales volumes saw a decline last year, the data indicates which categories are performing best in Australia’s pubs, clubs and bars, with vodka being the category leader and accounting for one-third of spirits sales on-premise.
Data from CGA’s On-Premise User Survey indicated that vodka has the widest consumer base, with Victoria’s vodka consumption exceeding that of other states.
Ewen Pettit, Co-Founder of Australian vodka Idle Hour, explains why vodka is a favourable spirit choice on-premise.
“The vodka category has been performing steadily as it always has. […] The versatility of vodka as a base for cocktails and its appeal across diverse consumer demographics has contributed to its sustained popularity, and vodka remains a robust category in this market.
“The RTD has played an incredibly significant role in reopening avenues to vodka and the ability to explore within the category. […] The premium-and-above segment has also seen positive growth, with publicans and hospitality groups more interested in working with local brands.”
As Ewen explains, the diverse and versatile nature of vodka makes it a great base spirit in cocktail making, and in particular, its smooth finish is often complementary to its counterparts in a cocktail.
On a mission to celebrate the uniqueness of the spirit, Idle Hour collaborated with three prominent Australian bartenders on World Vodka Day in October 2023 for a tri-city cocktail challenge, with three recipes below to inspire your next vodka-based creation.
Despite the sustained growth of Tequila in recent years and the growing popularity of the Margarita on-premise, the three spirits to follow vodka in sales rankings were whisk(e)y, gin and rum, with these four categories accounting for more than 80 per cent of on-premise spirits sales.
In Queensland, rum took a significantly larger share of sales as the fastest-growing category by volume in the state last year. Queenslanders have their fair share of local rums, from the famed Bundaberg to award-winning Beenleigh Rum and North Queensland’s Burdekin Distillery. But for those looking to put a tropical twist on the cane spirit, Ashley Chriqui of Rosie Campbell’s shares her recipe for the Banana Milk Punch below.
Below the four top performing categories however was Tequila, with New South Wales representing the highest level of consumption, over-indexing all other states for sales by volume.
From one end of the pricing ladder to the other, Cognac and brandy proved to be popular choices in the premium and super-premium segments with the highest prices per 30ml serve, while gin had the lowest level of average price increases on-premise last year.
