What booze did Ontarians drink in 2024? LCBO reveals most popular beverages of the year

Ontarians looking for a tipple this year reached for tequila, Soju, pre-mixed cocktails, and a surprisingly large amount of non-alcoholic beer.

680 NewsRadio can exclusively reveal the LCBO’s top-selling products in 2024.

Non-alcoholic beer grows in popularity

The overall top-selling product at the LCBO this year was Smirnoff Vodka, a popular mixer in many cocktails. However, perhaps surprisingly, products without alcohol saw the most considerable growth at the LCBO. Non-alcoholic beer sales grew by a whopping 69 per cent, supported by the influx of new products over the past year, such as Guinness 0.0.

Overall, products with no alcohol saw growth of 73 products over the last year and 189 per cent since 2022. The LCBO noted that December is a peak sales period for no—or low-alcoholic options.

“As many Ontarians look to partake in celebrations without alcohol consumption or provide choices for their guests when entertaining.”

Popular liquors

For those who prefer something a little stronger, Ready-to-Drink products (RTDs) proved particularly popular this year, with pre-mixed cocktails seeing a growth of 17 per cent. In July, RTDs were a significant focus of the strike by LCBO unionized workers represented by OPSEU, with the union fighting unsuccessfully to keep them out of corner stores and gas stations. They began selling the products in September.

Tequila continued to be a popular choice for Ontario drinkers in 2024, with six per cent sales growth on top of last year’s 16 per cent.

American whiskey also captivated people’s attention this year, growing seven per cent.

Meanwhile, the LCBO says more of its customers discovered the world of Asian spirits, particularly Soju, a clear and colourless Korean spirit traditionally made from rice. Soju’s sales increased this year, as did Japanese whiskey.

Wine and Beer

When it comes to wine, Ontarians’ tastes appear to be changing. The LCBO noticed a shift away from heavier vinos towards fresher styles of wine, including lighter reds, low- and de-alcoholized wines, and refreshing whites such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.

Local Ontario Icewine deviates from this trend, which has experienced a consistent upward trend since 2022, growing seven per cent in the last year and 29 per cent since 2022.

The LCBO says customers are looking for more robust and flavourful beers, such as strong ales, stouts, and porters when it comes to beer.

Year of change

2024 was a year of significant change for the LCBO and for the sale of alcohol as a whole in Ontario.

In May, the Ford government announced it was earmarking $225 million for The Beer Store to break its exclusive retail contract early and move alcohol into convenience, grocery and big box stores and gas stations in September.

The move resulted in as many as 8,500 new alcohol retailers across Ontario, though the LCBO remains the province’s exclusive seller of liquor.