The idiom “you look a bit off” often is used to alert someone that they look physically distracted or unwell. This past year, however, “looking a bit off” is taking on a whole new meaning for the U.S. spirits market.
“In 2020, the U.S. spirits market had a bifurcated performance, with the off-premise measured channels showing strong growth, while the on-premise channel suffered,” says Carolyn Lemoine, director of alcohol research for New York-based Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC). “Overall, this led to total spirits market volume growth of 3 percent, while retail dollars were down 12-13 percent due to channel shifting to off-premise from on-premise, including eCommerce.”