RTD Has Overtaken Vodka in Global Value. The More Important Number Is What Comes Next.

IWSR confirmed this week that RTD overtook vodka in global value in 2025. The trade press has covered the milestone. What it has not done is read the number sitting underneath it – the one that tells you what the category looks like from here, and what it means for every producer still working out where to position.

What the IWSR data actually says

RTD volumes have grown at a compound annual growth rate of more than 8% since 2019, according to IWSR. Over the same period the global alcohol market has broadly declined in both volume and value. RTD grew by taking share – from bottled spirits, from beer, from wine, and from occasions that previously had no format with a specific answer to the consumer’s need.