Alcohol slowdown continue through Mid-September, seasonal impacts stall

During the four weeks ending Sept. 19,, Total Alcohol lagged a year earlier, NIQ reports. Dollar sales reached $8.4 billion, down 2% from the like 2025 period, while case volume fell 3.7% to 166.4 million.

On a weekly basis, dollar sales totaled $2 billion, down -5.5% from the week ending Sept. 12. Recent underwhelming trends can partially be attributed to seasonal influences, as the industry officially exits the popular summer selling period and enters fall.

Traditional Offerings Soft, Prepared Cocktails Sole Grower

Prepared Cocktails: Beer, Wine, and Spirits (BWS) maintained growth, with sales up 2.5%, while case volume slipped 1.4%, NIQ said. The performance signals the segment's recent resurgence, as Spirits- and Wine-based RTDs continue to perform strongly and align with modern consumer preferences.

• Beer's softness dragged on, with dollar sales in the four weeks ended Sept. 19 down 2.9% and volume falling 4.1%. The demand pressures faced by the category are showing to be ongoing, as losses persist versus a year ago.

On a weekly basis, dollar sales totaled $889.2 million, down 6.3% from $949 million the prior week.

While football season has introduced a steady stream of gameday consumption occasions, those benefits have yet to fully offset the broader pressures weighing on the category, leaving Beer in search of stronger and more sustained momentum.

Beer’s top segments continue to limit category results. Domestic Premium headwinds were most prevalent, with dollar sales down 7% and volume down 7.5%, while Craft declined 6.2% in value and 7.3% in volume.

Import saw notably slower losses (-0.9% in value, -2.2% in volume). Domestic Super Premium returned to growth, with dollar sales and volume both growing 2.2%.

Additional growth segments included both Cider and Non-Alcoholic Beer. Cider rose 4.2% in value and 3.1% in cases, while Non-Alcoholic Beer grew 10.5% in value and volume. Continued consumer interest in moderation, wellness, and better-for-you alternatives remains a key driver of NonAlcoholic Beer's success, while the expansion of growth across multiple smaller segments provides encouraging signs for the category despite ongoing weakness in its largest segments.

• Wine followed closely with its own decline, as dollar sales fell 2.8% and volume dropped 4.7%, NIQ reported. The unrelenting pressure in Wine is a clear indicator of how shifts in consumer behavior have been a notable category detriment.

During the four weeks ending Sept. 19, Still Wine continued to drive the majority of category softness, with dollar sales declining 3.6% and volume down 5.2%. Sparkling Wine continued to improve, posting dollar growth of 2.1% and volume rising 1.2%.

Non-Alcoholic Wine maintained its strength, with dollar sales increasing +20.5% and volume up +17.2%. While both segments represent a smaller share of total category sales, their sustained growth highlights evolving consumer preferences and remains a notable bright spot within an otherwise challenged Wine landscape.

• Spirits displayed some improvement, as dollar sales slipped 2.1% and volume declined 2.4%, NIQ said. The losses remain slower as compared to other traditional alcohol categories in this mid-September period.

Across the top Spirits categories (Vodka, Whiskey, and Tequila), performance varied notably.

Whiskey experienced the fastest declines yet again, with dollar sales down 4.7% and volume falling 5.9%. Vodka remained relatively resilient, outperforming total Spirits despite remaining slightly below year-ago levels, dropping 1.4% in value and easing 2% in volume.

Tequila continued to gain traction with consumers, delivering another week of dollar and volume growth (+1.6% and +5.6% respectively) and reinforcing its position as one of the category's strongest growth engines. NonAlcoholic Spirits also offered strong gains, with dollar sales up 23.5% and volume rising 18.7%. All other Spirits segments remained as loss contributors, with dollar sales down 2.2% and volume declining 3%.

• Latest category performance illustrates a continuing divergent landscape. Beer has yet to move from being the top lagger, while Wine shares a similar rate of decline in its own consistent manner. In contrast, Spirits exist in a state of slower decline, and Prepared Cocktails (BWS) are widening their gap as the sole bucket of growth opportunity.

NJ, Ohio Stay Ahead; Declines Sweep Top Regional Markets

Key state results were primarily aligned to total U.S. underperformance, with eight of the top 10 state markets losing ground in both dollar sales and volume.

• New Jersey outperformed broader trends and captured growth in both value and volume. Dollar sales grew 1.4%, while volume increased 4.9%. Ohio followed behind New Jersey as dollar sales remained flat, whereas volume declined 2.8%.

• Washington held as the top declining key state market, with case volume down 13.5% and dollar sales dropped 7.6%. Demand lapses in the state have been ongoing, leading nationwide declines for consecutive weeks.

• Overall, regional performance is largely under pressure, as just a few markets stay afloat the negative tides. New Jersey and Ohio are both experiencing stable sales trends, much better than its peers. On the other hand, prolonged deep declines in Washington reveal the vastly different levels of instability across regions.

Broad retail pullback persists, led by Food, Convenience

• Widespread weakness was seen across core retail channels, with dollar sales falling in most major outlets. Food recorded the sharpest decline at 3.2%. This was followed by Convenience at 2.4%, Club -1.5%, Liquor -1.1% and Mass -0.5%. All Others maintained sales gains, up 2.2%.

• Volume trends closely followed dollar results. Conv led declines at -5.2%, followed by Food -4.7%, Liquor -1.8%, Mass -1.6%, while Club (+0.9%) and All Others grew volume (+4%).