Vodka. About 16 million bottles sold in 2009
Photo: Tzvika Tishler
Vodka most popular alcoholic drink in Israel
BDI survey reveals 75% of all Alcohol bottles sold in 2009 were of vodka, followed by arrack with 10% of sales, whiskey with 8%
Israelis drank more alcohol in 2009 and drink vodka more than any other alcoholic beverage, according to a survey conducted by the BDI business information company.
Vodka leads the sales in the alcoholic beverages industry (not including beer, separate categories like wine, and Duty Free sales) with sales of about 16 million bottles – about 75% of all bottles sold in 2009 in the alcoholic beverages industry.
In 2009, Israelis consumed 21 million bottles – a 5% rise compared to the previous year. This is a significantly lower increase than the one recorded in the industry in 2008, which saw an 11% rise in the number of bottles sold compared to 2007.
The revenues from the sales of alcohol bottles stood at about NIS 1.65 billion (about $440 million), a 3% rise compared to 2008. This increase is also much more moderate than the increase recorded in 2008, which stood at about 14% in financial terms compared to 2007.
BDI notes that one of the main reasons for the moderate growth is the mixed trend, which included a rise in the consumption of alcoholic beverages following an increase in advertising and the development of an alcohol consumption culture in the past years. On the other hand, the economic recession reduces consumer spending on these drinks.
The business risk index of the industry's main companies shows that in the past year, the industry's risk level was lower than the business risk index in the entire economy, estimated at 3.9 in 2009. The past year even saw a drop in the industry's risk level compared to a rise in the entire economy's risk level.
