However, while production is down, consumption is up.
Russians drunk more in 2024 than at similar stages in the last eight years. And more and more people prefer rum, whiskey, brandy and tequila, a Russian financial auditing firm, Finexpertisa, reported in May. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russians are starting to drink less, claiming more of them prefer sports. “Quit drinking and start skiing,” he joked.
The sales of those products grew by 10.2 percent to 3.2 liters a year per capita person, surpassing vodka consumption in some regions. But vodka is still the top drink of choice throughout the country, holding 60 percent of sales annually.
The decline in vodka production in Russia was triggered by rising alcohol prices and the ban on the export of alcoholic beverages to the EU, the U.S. and other countries, due to Western sanctions.
This ban has significantly reduced export revenue for Russian vodka producers, a state product quality control service in the Rostov region reported in June, citing data from the Strategy Partners consulting agency.
