New Zealand: Total volume of alcoholic drinks available for consumption fell 2% last year

New Zealand is saying no to mid-strength beer and spirits but yes to craft beers, low-alcohol beers and wine, 3 News reported on February 25.

The total volume of alcoholic drinks available in New Zealand fell 9.4 million litres in 2014, a fall of two percent.

This came after an 8.9 million litre rise in 2013.

The biggest drops were in spirits (down 4.3 million litres) and beer (6.5 million litres).

Beer availability was especially down in mid-strength beers, with increases being recorded in high-strength and low-strength beers.

Low-strength beer available for consumption was 66 percent higher in 2014 than the previous year, Statistics NZ spokesman Jason Attewell said.

"This rise may well have been due to the industry gearing up for the new blood-alcohol limits introduced at the end of 2014," he said.

High-strength beer availability has nearly doubled since 2009 and reflects the growing demand for craft beers, he said.

Wine availability was up 5.7 percent.

The statistics show the volume of alcoholic beverages released to the market, and therefore available for consumption, rather than how much people actually drank.

25 February, 2015