Despite declining sales, Poland is still the largest vodka producer and consumer of vodka in the European Union, shows a report by the Polish Spirits Industry.

As many as 136 alcohol manufacturers and 265 alcohol distributors operate on the Polish spirits market with an annual production of alcoholic beverages in Poland amounting to 3.2 million hectolitres and about 85 percent of the production is vodka.

The spirits market in Poland is worth 3.4 billion euro.

Poland is also one of the EU leaders in vodka consumption. While in most European countries the average annual per capita consumption is about 5 litres of spirits, in Poland it amounts to 8 litres.

“Poles’ tastes have changes over the decades,” points out Leszek Wiwala, president of the Polish Spirits Industry. “In 1970s Poles consumed many litres of vodka, which was a favourite pastime. At the end of 1990s, however, beer dethroned vodka and has been Poles’ favourite alcoholic beverage ever since,” says Wiwala.

Over a half of alcohol consumed by Poles is beer, one third high-proof spirits and one fifth wine. About three-quarters of high-proof spirits consumed in Poland is pure vodka.

In 2009, Poland exported 400,000 hectolitres of alcoholic beverages, mainly the Western European countries, the United States and Mexico. Poland imports 370,000 hectoliters of such products.

“About 10 percent of alcohol trade is done on the black market, which means that the state budget loses annually about one billion zloty (260 million euro),” says Deputy Finance Minister Jacek Kapica. (mg)

Source: PAP