Author: The Proof Line Editorial
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Week Ending December 6 2025 — Consumption Plateaus, Structures Keep Shifting
Americans drink slightly less, but remain heavy consumers.New data from IWSR, reported by Reuters, show U.S. adults averaging roughly nine standard drinks per week in 2024, down modestly from 10.3 in 2023. That leaves U.S. consumption near the top of global rankings, even as younger cohorts moderate more sharply than older drinkers. For beverage-alcohol suppliers,…
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Week Ending November 29 2025 — Wine Resets, Beer Contracts, Cannabis Rules Tighten
Class-action pressure hits Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.A former maintenance worker has filed a federal collective and class-action lawsuit alleging Ste. Michelle Wine Estates failed to pay overtime, interrupted legally required meal and rest breaks, and kept incomplete time records for hundreds of hourly workers across Washington and beyond. The complaint seeks unpaid wages, penalties, and…
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Week Ending November 22, 2025 — Craft Divergence and Policy Pressures
Alcohol Industry Week in Review — Week Ending November 22, 2025 Craft Beer’s Performance Splits Across Channels CGA and retail scanner data showed widening divergence between grocery and convenience channels for craft beer in the 12 weeks to early November. Grocery continued to weaken, with dollar sales down 6.8 percent YTD and 7.3 percent in…
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Week Ending November 15 2025 — Sober Forecasts and Sector Resets
IWSR Lowers Global Outlook IWSR revised its global beverage-alcohol forecast, projecting volume declines through 2026 as premium-plus trade-downs widen across North America and Western Europe. The revision underscores sustained consumer caution and the uneven recovery of high-end spirits. Premium Beer Faces Structural Slowdown New Circana data show U.S. premium-plus beer volume down 4.8 percent YTD.…
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Week Ending November 8 2025 — Portfolio Discipline Amid Demand Divergence
Diageo tempers outlook as regional headwinds mount.Diageo reduced its near-term guidance, citing weakness in the U.S. and China alongside internal leadership shifts. The company emphasized tighter mix management and cost discipline to preserve margins as discretionary spending cools and volume recovery remains uneven. Campari sharpens focus on core growth engines.Campari’s strategy update prioritized incremental investment…
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Week Ending November 1 2025 — Resilient Earnings, Shrinking Harvests, and Diverging Demand
Holiday depletions begin amid shifting category momentum Beer momentum softens heading into November. IRI data indicated beer volumes declined 1.8 percent year-over-year in October’s final week, with below-premium lagers leading losses. Imports remained resilient, up 3 percent, supported by Modelo and Corona share gains in chain retailers. Spirits growth narrows in key control states. According…
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Week Ending October 25 2025 — Premium Fatigue and Channel Realignment
Premiums under pressure as distributors recalibrate Beer Faces Pricing Reset.Brewers continued to moderate list-price growth after two years of heavy inflation recovery. Fintech data showed a broad pull-back in beer shelf pricing across regional wholesalers, led by Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors, as value brands regained space at chain retailers. Executives cited retailer pushback and slowing…
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Week Ending October 18 2025 – RTDs surge, exports stumble
Distribution shifts and regulatory skirmishes reshape U.S. spirits dynamics. Independent marketplace wins distributor access.According to Reuters, digital wholesale platform Provi Inc. has settled its federal antitrust lawsuit against Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, relinquishing claims that the distributor blocked its ordering platform and suppressed competition. Reuters With Provi now cleared to transact with Southern Glazer’s brands, suppliers gain an…
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Alcohol Industry Week in Review — Week Ending October 11 2025
Retail contractions, policy tensions, and shifting consumer baselines define the mid-October landscape. Circana Data Confirm Broader Category Softness.Circana off-premise data for the four weeks ending September 28 showed total beverage-alcohol dollar sales down 2.9 percent year over year. Volumes declined 4.1 percent, with beer down 3.5 percent, wine down 5.4 percent, and spirits slipping 1.2…
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Alcohol Industry Week in Review — Week Ending October 2 2025
Premium Headwinds and Policy Crosscurrents Define the Early Fall Outlook Status Spirits Stumble, but Prospects Remain Cyclical.IWSR data showed global “status spirits” (priced $100 and above) fell 8 percent in 2024, erasing nearly $1 billion in value as China’s market dropped 28 percent. Analysts view the contraction as cyclical—driven by oversupply, tariff uncertainty, and trading-down—rather…