Time Isn't Water: What 2025 Held for the Alcohol Industry

 — 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."

— What challenges did the industry face in 2025? How did they deal with them?