Moscow - Russians' preferences in alcoholic beverages are not changing, and vodka and beer are still top of the heap, as evidenced by Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) figures for January-November released on Saturday.
Vodka (by pure alcohol) accounted for 49.9% of sales (1.417 billion liters) and beer for 32.4% (9.690 million liters). Vodka’s share of sales slipped from 50.2% in January-November 2011, while beer’s increased from 31.8%.
Wine accounted for 10.2% of alcohol sales (851.5 million liters), cognac for 4% (108.5 million liters), and champagne for 1.2% (268.6 million liters). These figures were little changed from January-November of last year.