Does Shift to Small Sizes in Spirits Reflect Consumer Caution?

A key debate for beverage alcohol companies remains whether near-term pressure is structural or cyclical in nature. Beer and spirits companies are both supportive of the notion that while structural changes may have occurred in the industry, the principal source of pressure is cyclical – the direct result of a pressured consumer that is more intentional with their discretionary spending.

Consumer Edge Scanner data shows that as spirits sales and volume trends have improved 1st quarter to date to -0.5% and -1.3% from the sustained -3% to -4% of 2025, spirits companies have cited small sizes as a notable driver in recent periods. Breaking down category sales growth by pack type, the data over the last 12 weeks is supportive of outsized growth in small sizes with 375mL bottles +9.2%, 50mL bottles +8.7%, 750mL bottles -2.8%, and 1.75L bottles -3.8%.

While the outsized growth of small sizes and pressure on large sizes is not a new development (trends for 750mL and 1.75L bottles decelerated to -LSD in 2023), the recent acceleration in small size growth indicates underlying demand for spirits persists and suggests that the cash outlay for a larger bottle is problematic for many consumers. Notably, 375mL bottles have sharply accelerated from +LSD growth in late 2025 to +HSD growth in 2026 driven by Tito’s, Soon Hari, Jinro, Don Julio, and Svedka. The brands driving this acceleration provide further evidence that premiumization in spirits remains a durable trend despite near-term cyclical pressure.