- Title: Young women drive increasing whiskey sales in China
- Date: 17th April 2024
- Summary: SHANGHAI, CHINA (RECENT - MARCH 9, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WOMEN DRINKING COCKTAILS IN BAR CUSTOMERS / BAR WOMEN SEATED AT WHISKEY BAR WHISKEY GLASSES ON TABLE WAITER SHOWING WHISKEY BOTTLE TO CUSTOMERS 45-YEAR-OLD CUSTOMER BELINDA (SURNAME NOT GIVEN) DRINKING WHISKEY (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 45-YEAR-OLD CUSTOMER BELINDA (SURNAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING: "I think it's a kind of trend, and also I think whiskey is very fashionable. And the atmosphere of drinking in Shanghai is also very good." VARIOUS OF CUSTOMER SELECTING WHISKEY WHISKEY BOTTLES IN CABINET (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 28-YEAR-OLD CUSTOMER ECHO ZHANG, SAYING: "(I think whiskey is) very suitable for socialising. You can go to a nearby whiskey bar and have a pure drink, you don't have to go eat or go to one of those super noisy places. And I think whiskey's overall culture, whether it's Black Rock or other well-known Shanghai whiskey bars, every time I go there with my friends to chat, it's a very suitable place to sit down and spend an evening." VARIOUS OF WHISKEY BAR MANAGER OF BLACK ROCK WHISKEY BAR, COLIN TAIT, MAKING A COCKTAIL COCKTAIL (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGER OF BLACK ROCK WHISKEY BAR, COLIN TAIT, SAYING: “Our clientele when we first opened, we thought we would be more of an older generation. We thought, because that's the assumption that whiskey is more of a refined thing. But what we've seen is we actually had a lot of a younger clientele, like it's all local as well, not a lot of foreigners coming in here, and quite a lot of groups of young women, like two women together, or they will be more interested in trying different types of whiskey.” VARIOUS OF TAIT MAKING COCKTAIL VARIOUS OF WHISKEY BOTTLES ON SHELF (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGER OF BLACK ROCK WHISKEY BAR, COLIN TAIT, SAYING: “I think the whiskey market in general, like the distilleries and the big brands, they’re, when you look at their marketing and their advertising, they're definitely pushing whiskey onto a younger generation. It's more about 'it's whiskey you can drink it any way you want to drink it.' There's like colourful campaigns, there's more push on the bartenders to do stuff with it. So I think globally, the whiskey market realises they have to shift away from that 'old man culture', I feel like, to get into the new market. So they have to kind of make it cool again.”
- Embargoed: 1st May 2024 02:00
- Keywords: alcohol baijiu bar china consumers drink drinking whiskey whisky women
- Location: SHANGHAI, EMEISHAN, SICHUAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: SHANGHAI, EMEISHAN, SICHUAN PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Commodities Markets,Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA001384009042024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: In Shanghai’s bustling nightlife, bars are serving whiskey tasters and cocktails to an unexpected customer base: young women.
Contrary to the stereotype of whiskey being consumed by the older generation, young Chinese women are increasingly becoming the driving force behind whiskey sales in the world’s largest alcohol market.
"I think whiskey is very fashionable," said one customer, 45-year-old Belinda as she sipped on the liquor in Black Rock bar, a popular joint serving whiskey-based drinks, adding that Shanghai has a "good atmosphere" for drinking.
Another regular, Echo Zhang, said she enjoys socialising over whiskey. "Whiskey's overall culture, whether it's Black Rock or other well-known Shanghai whiskey bars, every time I go there with my friends to chat, it's a very suitable place to sit down and spend an evening."
Black Rock bar manager Colin Tait said he was surprised by the demographic shift. He credits the change in clientele to marketing strategies that appeal to a younger crowd.
"The whiskey market realises they have to shift away from the 'old man culture' to get into the new market," Tait added. "It's more about 'it's whiskey, you can drink it any way you want to drink it.' There's like colourful campaigns, there's more push on the bartenders to do stuff with it."
The potential of China’s burgeoning whiskey scene has not gone unnoticed. French spirits maker Pernod Ricard launched The Chuan pure malt whisky in China last December, and is not the only global spirits player upping its whiskey production in China. The company's main rival, Diageo, also opened a $75 million single malt distillery in the country, under construction since 2021.
Market research provider Euromonitor International predicts whiskey - which includes Scotch whisky - will be the fastest-growing spirit in China in the coming years, booming by 88% between 2023-2026. That represents more than 20% annual growth for the next few years, compared to an approximate 4% growth-rate worldwide.
Whiskey's total value in the world's biggest alcohol market reached $2.3 billion in 2022, according Euromonitor International, with estimates it will grow to $6.7 billion by 2027.
According to Jason Yu, managing director for market research company Kantar Worldpanel, despite whiskey's small market share in China's alcohol market — which accounts for a trillion RMB ($138 billion) domestically — the category is experiencing strong growth and has potential to capitalise on changing consumption patterns.
"Western spirits, especially whiskey, will have a great opportunity to thrive in China if they are able to actually cater more to consumers’ needs of having fun and seeking pleasure," Yu said.
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