BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – It’s “Dry January,” when some folks choose to abstain from alcohol to kick off the new year. But for some Vermonters, cutting back on alcohol year-round is forcing the booze business to make changes.
Many people of all ages are choosing more and more to cut back on drinking
“I drink on special occasions — if at all — not very often coming into the new year. I’m thinking that I’ll probably stay dry most of the year,” said Zac Cannon of Winooski.
Health reasons and friends who drink less are curbing the desire to drink. “Sometimes you go overboard and the next day it’s like, it’s never good. Then, it’s just a waste of a day of feeling bad,” said Alex Joyce, a University of Vermont student.
These are national trends according to the Vermont Commissioner of Liquor and Lottery Wendy Knight. “I think, in general, also consumers are becoming much more health conscious and much more sort of intentional in terms of their drinking habits,” she said.
During the first two years of the pandemic, sales at 802 Spirits outlets spiked by 15% and then slowed to a 2 percent increase. However, the state has seen a decrease of 1.8 percent in sales in the last fiscal year. “Our wine manufacturers, our cider manufacturers, the brewers, the distilled spirits manufacturers in Vermont — we’re all seeing those trends. They’re seeing across the board alcohol consumption is declining and it’s impacting their businesses,” Knight said.
But she says one thing that is increasing is the sale of non-alcoholic beverages as part of their drinking habits. At Zero Gravity, a Burlington microbrewery, they are still pouring plenty of beer and alcoholic beverages but they’ve also evolved, making many non-alcoholic options to meet the growing demand. “We’ve done our best to build a really loyal following and that includes the non-alcoholic sphere. So, providing balance in those choices and making sure there’s something for everybody on every occasion,” said the brewery’s Chris Costello.
He says people still love to go out to bars, restaurants, and parties, and that meeting everyone’s needs is what keeps driving their business forward.