Spirits market in Canada - statistics & facts

Spirits, otherwise known as liquor or hard alcohol, are a type of distilled beverage which contains a minimum 20 percent alcohol content. Typically termed as alcohol by volume, the higher the alcohol content the harder or stronger the liquor. Different spirits are composed of different fermented products. Gin, for example, is produced using juniper berries, while tequila is made from blue agave. Other spirits include vodka, rum, whisky, brandy, schnapps and more. The most commonly produced spirit in Canada is whisky.

Industry landscape

While the dollar sales of spirits produced in Canada remained flat until 2020, the sales of imported spirits has increased by over one billion Canadian dollars since 2011, with the total sales of spirits reaching nearly 6.5 billion Canadian dollars in fiscal year 2021. There were nearly 200 distilleries throughout Canada in 2021, with the majority located in Ontario. Approximately 295 million Canadian dollars of whisky was exported from Canada in 2021, exceeding whisky imports by roughly five million Canadian dollars that year.

Liquor consumption

On the whole, about 2.6 standard drinks (17ml of pure alcohol per drink) of spirits were sold per person per week in Canada in 2021. The Northern Territories were significantly ahead of the national average at 7.9 drinks per week. Vodka was the leading type of strong alcohol among Canadian consumers, as over 20 percent of Canadians stated that it was their favorite spirit. Rum and whisky ranked second and third, respectively, within the same period.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Jan Conway, Aug 19, 2022

Key insights

Revenue of the Canadian spirits market
9.3bn USD
Total worldwide spirits sales volume
2.2bn 9-liter cases
Revenue of the U.S. spirits market
79.63bn USD
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Spirits dollar sales in Canada from FY 2011 to FY 2022 (in billion Canadian dollars)

Spirits

Spirits dollar sales in Canada FY 2011-FY 2022

Number of distilleries in Canada as of December 2022, by region

Spirits

Number of distilleries in Canada by region 2022

Market share of spirits in Canada in 2020/2021, by category and region

Spirits

Share of sales of spirits in Canada 2020/2021, by type and region

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