Canadians’ 2025 shift towards local and national producers has given craft beer and Canadian whiskey a boost in Canadian bars and restaurants.
Data from market research firm CGA by NielsenIQ show that over the last 3 months, craft beer sales by dollar value jumped 5.5% vs the same period last year. In the last 12 months, their data show craft sales are up by 1.8%, reversing the previous trend of sliding sales.
It is worth asking if craft beer can continue this trend, since overall the last year has seen craft lose market share to import and domestic beers. But craft beer makers can be encouraged by the events of the past quarter, as well as by the data showing that overall beer sales by dollar value are up by 4% vs. the previous period in the 12 months up to mid-June.
Earlier consumer opinion data showed a strong sentiment shift by Canadians towards supporting local and national producers in 2025. Springtime polling revealed two out of five consumers have tried a Canadian alcohol brand they haven’t had before when out in the last month, with the top motivation listed as supporting Canadian brands.
September’s Consumer Impact Report also shows that the #1 factor that would encourage beer drinkers to pay extra for a beer in bars and restaurants is a beer brewed by a local brewery (31%).
In the whiskey world, Canadian whiskeys have increased $ sales by 3.3% over the last 12 months vs the same time period last year. When looking at the last 3 months specifically vs the same 3-month period last year, this increases to +6.8%. This is in contrast to all other whiskey types be they American, Scotch, or Irish offerings, as each respective category experiences declines
However, given that U.S. whiskey makes up just under a third of all whiskey sales, its availability challenges mean that overall whiskey sales have slipped by 12.3% in the last 3 months.