Millennials are changing a lot of things lately, and the alcohol industry is one of them. They are drinking a ton of wine. In fact, millennials consumed 36% of the total amount of wine purchased last year, which is 159.6 million cases. According to Bustle, millennials have an average of three glasses per sitting. Also, women consumed 57% of all the wine in the U.S. during the same time period (last year).
So what does this wine consumption mean? Well, first off, the way wine is being sold will change to fit the needs of the “me” generation. According to Bustle, wine delivery and check-in apps are taking off, as well as wine in a can to promote convenience. Organic wine is a market that is expected to grow as well because millennials tend to care more about what goes in their body’s than previous generations. Infiniti Research report that the organic wine market is expected to grow at a rate of nearly 10% a year over the next five years.
The huge amount of wine consumption by millennials is also changing the beer industry. In fact, the consumption of beer by millennials has declined from 70% just a few years ago to 40%, according to Bustle. When millennials do go after a beer, however, they are largely choosing craft beers. Anheuser-Busch conducted a survey, revealing that 44% of millennials ages 21 to 27 have never even tried Budweiser. Millennials are much more likely to go after IPAs and seasonal brews, according to The Black Label.
Lastly, how have spirits been affected by this wine trend? Millennials are breaking the stereotype of whiskey drinkers as they are jumping on that bandwagon as well. Bourbon and American whiskey saw a 7.4% increase just last year, and a 30% increase over the last 10 years, according to The Black Label. Millennials are also looking for more variety on drink menus, as they also are drinking vodka, rum, and tequila.
Whatever they are drinking, millennials just don’t want to be drinking what everyone else is drinking. They want to be unique, just as they do with everything else. As they are changing the alcohol industry, they are also changing the world.