NEWS
JAPAN’S ALCOHOLIC DRINKS MARKET GROWS AMID CHANGING TRENDS
By Tony Zhu
11-3-2025
Credit: Chuttersnap/Unsplash
Japan’s wine and spirits market in Japan has been on the upward trajectory amid changing consumer preferences and market trends.
The revenue of the off-trade is expected to reach USD3.4 billion, while the on-trade revenue is projected to be USD5.8 billion, with a combined revenue of USD9.2 billion.
There is a growing demand for premium and luxury wines, especially imported wines from the old world wine - producing countries like France, Italy and Spain.
Against this background, Japanese drinks giant, Suntory holdings, has shown remarkable performance. The company’s overall revenue reached ¥3417 billion (USD23.2b), a 4 percent increase year-on-year.
The company's spirits business revenue reached ¥1392.9b, representing a 1.1 percent growth, and its operating profit topped ¥180.7b, a 2.9 percent increase.
Suntory’s Japanese whisky brands Yamzaki and Hibiki, along with its RTD brand On The Rocks, all achieved double-digit growth in 2024.
Other Suntory brands like Jim Beam saw low-single-digit growth in both sales and volume, while the Japanese craft gin Roku achieved single-digit sales growth.
Japan is a matured market where craftsmanship and attention to details are highly regarded, consumers in Japan are prepared to pay premium price for quality products.
The country also has a matured distribution network, with sophisticated retail channels that facilitate the sales of premium as well as mass market wine and spirit products.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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