LCBO unveils beverage trends that defined 2025
Ontarians embraced Canadian alternatives to wine, beer and spirits this year, according to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).
The LCBO took its annual look back at consumer alcohol trends and buying behaviours.
Amidst restrictions on U.S.-produced products, new points of sale and innovative new product releases encouraged Ontario consumers to discover something new.
Beer, cider and ready-to-drink
Beer and ready-to-drink (RTD) coolers saw an increase in sales throughout the year, at 22% and 21% respectively. This was partly driven by their availability at more points of sale outside of LCBO stores.
Non-alcoholic beer and cider saw 14% growth.
READ: The slow, stunning retreat of Canadian alcohol
The LCBO expanded large format beer packs (12, 24 and 30 packs) across the province, which drove 42% growth over the previous year. The 30-pack was the most popular large-pack format for 2025.
RTD cocktails continued to be the fastest-growing product, at a 31% increase, doubling in growth since last year. Ontario producers were popular and the LCBO more than doubled the number of products available from small Ontario RTD producers. Seltzer-style products remained the most popular type of RTD.
Wine
When it comes to wine, consumers continued to seek out fresher styles including lighter reds, sparklers, and light wines. De-alcoholized wines continued to gain popularity, with an increase of 126%.
Ontario wines benefited from the strong customer sentiment to support local, with VQA sales increasing by 56%, led by Ontario red VQA with a 66% increase and Ontario white VQA with a 54% increase.
Sales of wines from Canada increased by 19%, from Australia by 17%, from Italy by 10% and France by 18%.
Spirits
Within spirits, customers increasingly chose Canadian and Ontario alternatives. Canadian whisky led overall growth by value. This trend extended to other spirit categories, including vodka, rum and liqueurs, where Canadian and Ontario options gained traction.
While smaller categories, Asian and Irish whiskies experienced steady growth. Consumers continued to favour smaller sizes driving demand for bottles below 750ml.
“This year we saw trends shift in response to industry changes and a growing desire to support local, with more than 20% growth in demand for Ontario products” said Abhay Garg, vice president, merchandising, LCBO. “Customers were motivated to try something new – often from our own backyard – which is great for local producers.”
