In 2023, China rose into the top ten suppliers of whiskey to Russia, according to Kommersant. The report notes that Chinese alcohol shipments to Russia surged tenfold in the first ten months of the year, totaling 464 thousand liters, of which 421 thousand liters were whiskey. During the same period, China accounted for about 0.5% of Russia’s total whiskey imports, with imports reaching 30.49 million liters in ten months.
India joined China in expanding whiskey deliveries to Russia. This growth influenced the composition of cash whiskey sales in Russia: Scotch whiskey’s share declined from 65.1% to 61.2%; Irish whiskey moved from 9.9% to 9.7%; American whiskey rose from 9% to 9.8%. The report also notes a dip of up to 5.6% in certain categories due to the cessation of direct shipments for some brands following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speculation from industry experts included questions about whether Jameson whiskey might disappear from Russian shelves as the market evolves. Analysts also observed that Chinese whiskey has appeared in marketing tied to the Dota 2 game in China, reflecting how brands seek global appeal through popular culture partnerships.