A Quiet Reallocation Underway

This paper highlights a noticeable reshaping of beverages’ consumption habits in India-A homes (India’s affluent homes, that are now 48% of Urban Consumption by value).

These homes are steadily reallocating their wallets on what and how often they drink; and this shift is redefining Alco-Bev’s role in the total beverage repertoire.

This paper originates from the Bintix Continuous Home Consumption Panel. It tracks the weekly consumption of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. With 51 categories, 5000+ brands and 19000 SKUs tracked weekly, the panel provides the most detailed view of time-stamped consumption trends.

Bintix Beverages Panel

In 2026, it is signalling a clear shift in "Share of Throat" in India-A homes. 3 critical insights emerge.

Alcohol Is Losing Share Of Throat Despite Premium Scale

AlcoBev remains a premium-priced engine of value. However, its future will be determined by how it competes for share of the throat against the full universe of beverages that are taking away share.

Share of Throat(Value):
Alcobev vs. Non Alcobev (India A Homes)

Alco-Bevs “share of the throat by value” has declined from 66% to 61%, while that of non-alcoholic beverages has expanded from 34% to 39%.

Over the last two years, Alco-Bevs has lost 4% homes each year. This is concerning.

The Value CAGR of Alco-Bevs is –11.1%. In contrast, non-alcoholic beverages are holding Value CAGR broadly flat at –0.8%.

Importantly, this is occurring even as total beverage value contracts. India-A households are not simply consuming less, but actively reprioritising what they drink more often.

Non-Alcoholic Gains Are Through Frequency & Daily Habit

The categories gaining share of throat are high-frequency consumption beverages.

Change in Share of Throat (2023–2025)

These beverages are integrated into daily life — morning energy, mid-day refreshment, functional supplementation — creating multiple consumption occasions. Frequency is destiny, for share of throat.

Alco-Bev Is Seeing Breakout Opportunities Too

Within alcoholic beverages, share of throat reallocation is increasingly favouring categories that are easier to access and encourage experimentation.

• Non-scotch malt whisky has expanded its share from 3.1% to 4.4%

• Flavoured beer is growing rapidly from a small base (0.1% share; +43% CAGR)

• Flavoured rum continues to show resilience (0.5% share; +25% CAGR)

While a detailed 6P deep-dive will uncover the drivers of these growing product categories, some macro themes driving them are more consumption occasions and higher repeatability. Meanwhile, blended scotch, core beer, and wine continue to lose share of throat, reinforcing the structural challenge faced by more formal, occasion-led formats.

Strategic Recommendation: Winning Back The Share of Throat

The brightest prospect of quick gains back by Alco-Bev products is for those that are growing strongly but have low share of throat today. They help redefine formats and occasions that can win back frequency of consumption.

Share of Throat vs Value CAGR of Alcoholic Beverages