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Read original →Time Isn't Water: What 2025 Held for the Alcohol Industry
How Russia's alcohol industry changed in 2025: a moratorium on spirit producer licenses, beer excise taxes rising to €1.5 per liter, wine industry development, and business challenges. Expert opinions and key events of the year.
AI summary
The year 2025 for Russia's alcohol industry passed under the sign of strengthened government regulation: a moratorium was introduced on licenses for spirit producers, excise taxes and import duties on beer were raised to €1.5 per liter. The industry faced climate challenges (frosts reduced grape harvest), inflation and price increases of 15-20%, but continued to develop—northern winemaking was recognized, interest in Russian wine is growing. Market participants are calling on authorities to shift from prohibitive policies to educational ones and create more predictable rules of the game.
— What events and changes in 2025 became pivotal for the industry? And which external events had the greatest impact?
Press service of Rosalkogoltabakkontrol (RATK):
"Excessive production of ethyl alcohol led to the need to introduce a moratorium on issuing licenses for ethyl alcohol production, in order to prevent its diversion to the illegal market."
Alexey Sinelnikov, author of the channel "Wine and People":
"The announcement that the Moscow region would become a winemaking region caused quite a stir. This represents not so much a quantitative change in the industry as a qualitative one. Even the biggest climate skeptics now acknowledge the development of northern winemaking."
Independent beer market expert Alexander Savitsky:
"The main event in the beer industry this year was, of course, the radical increase in duties on imported beer: first to €1, and then to €1.5 per liter."
Elena Tyukina, editor-in-chief of RealBrew, a professional magazine covering beer, cider, and mead:
"In 2025, the brewing industry continued to face total regulation from the state. That means excise tax increases. Regional authorities are deciding on store hours, and we're dealing with restrictions on bars."