from Zero Hedge
A broad overview of America’s beer, spirits, and wine consumption reveals a steady increase since the Dot Com bust, with per capita levels approaching the highs last seen during the inflation-driven misery storm of the 1970s. Economic misery and rising alcohol consumption often go hand in hand.
“During periods of recession, US per capita alcohol consumption from beer, spirits and wine has been very resilient. Total beer volume declined in 2009 whilst spirits volume continued to grow,” Goldman’s Olivier Nicolaï told clients in a note on Tuesday.
Nicolaï noted, “Within overall US alcohol consumption, beer has been steadily losing share to spirits over the last 20 years. Within the spirits category, tequila has been gaining market share at the expense of vodka over recent years.”
Six decades of US per capita alcohol consumption data shows how war and economic misery can impact drinking rates among consumers. From the 1960s to the 1970s, the rate of alcohol consumption soared on a per capita basis, likely due to foreign wars and high inflation.