Beer remained Ireland's most popular drink with a 42.1% market share, despite a 2.7% drop in volume sales. Wine held onto second place, growing its volume by 4% to a 29.4% share and more than doubling its popularity since 2000. Spirits edged up 0.2% to a 22.4% share, while cider dipped slightly by 0.2% but held a 6.1% share.
The decline puts Ireland's consumption level well within the European average. Of 17 EU countries plus the UK tracked by the OECD in 2023, 10 exceeded Ireland's average consumption of 9.9 LPA that year, while seven fell below it — placing the country just under the unweighted EU-plus-UK average of 10 LPA and ending its status as an international outlier for high alcohol consumption.
The shift comes as major players adapt to changing habits: Guinness owner Diageo has invested €30 million in alcohol-free stout production at St. James's Gate in Dublin and plans to expand a €200 million facility in Littleconnell, Co Kildare, to more than double its export and domestic capacity. Meanwhile, independent brewers have raised concerns over a 9.8% hike in water charges that they say threatens the sector's future.
Following the findings, DIGI is calling for a 10% excise tax reduction in the next Budget, arguing that Irish consumers "are forced to pay one of the most punitive and unjust rates of excise tax on alcohol in the European Union." The group also noted that more than 2,200 pubs — one in four — have closed in Ireland since 2005 due largely to high state-imposed costs.
DIGI secretary and Licensed Vintners Association CEO Donall O'Keefe said the data "demonstrates that Irish people continue to consume alcohol at levels in line with the European average," yet still face disproportionately high excise rates that "increase cost pressures on both consumers and struggling small family-owned pubs and restaurants" and undercut competitiveness in tourism and hospitality.
O'Keefe pointed to a decade of compounding pressures on small hospitality businesses — including Brexit, Covid, transatlantic trade disruption, and geopolitical tensions — alongside sharply rising government-imposed costs. He urged policymakers to recognize the role pubs play in "the social fabric and wellbeing of local communities," particularly in rural areas facing social isolation, and renewed DIGI's call for an immediate 10% cut in excise tax to ease pressure on small businesses.
