Vodka production in Russia fell 7.3% in ten months, cognac — 13.8%

Strong alcohol is down, cider and mead are up

In the first ten months of 2026, Russian plants produced 56.33 million decaliters of vodka — 7.3% less than a year earlier — and 5.71 million decaliters of cognac — 13.8% less. Overall output of alcoholic products, excluding beer, cider, mead and certain other beverages, fell by 7.7% to 128.73 million decaliters. The figures are cited by TASS with reference to Rosalkogoltabakkontrol, as reported by Life.ru.

Different categories — different trajectories

The sharpest decline was in low-alcohol products: their output plummeted by 55.3% to 533.9 thousand decaliters. Production of other strong spirits decreased by 18.5%, grape wine by 7.8%, and sparkling wines by 4.8%. At the same time, some categories grew: output of liqueur and vodka products increased by 4.4% to 16.09 million decaliters, cider by 7.6%, and mead by 5.3%. Beer with an alcohol content of 0.5% to 8.6% nearly held its ground, declining only 1.1% to 651.96 million decaliters; beer-based drinks fell 4.1% in output.

Declining output and the number of players

The decline is taking place against the backdrop of changes in the market: according to Kontur.Focus analysts, the number of registered producers of strong alcohol fell by 7.4% over the year, to 377 companies. As Kommersant wrote, it is becoming harder for small enterprises to compete with large producers, especially in the budget segment of vodka.

Production is not sales

A decline in output does not necessarily mean an equal drop in consumption: production volumes and retail sales can change in different ways. Life.ru previously reportedthat in the first nine months of 2026, retail sales of vodka, cognac and grape wine declined, while sales of liqueur and vodka products grew by 10.8% — meaning this category's dynamics point in the same direction both in production and in retail.