OREANDA-NEWS. December 14, 2011. Belarus’ vodka and hard liquor output increased 13.1% on the year in January-October 2011 to 13.4 million decaliters, an official with Belarus’ National Statistics Committee told reporters.

Vodka and liquor production totaled 1.6 million dal, up 23.3% on the year.

In the period, cognac output amounted to 177,000 decaliters, 2.3% up on the year. “Cognac” is a name used to denote a type of brandy in the former Soviet Union. The production of sparkling wines went up 6.7% on the year in the period to 1,223,000 decaliters. Grape wine output rose 12.2% to 2.159 million decaliters. The output of fruit wines went down 9.4% to 13.4 million decaliters.

Inventories of vodka and other liquors amounted to 500,000 decaliters on November 1, 2011, 36.7% of the average monthly output. Stock reserve of cognac stood at 5,000 decaliters (28.2%), grape wine – 166,000 decaliters (76.9%), fruit wine – 200,000 decaliters (14.5%).

Vodka sales increased 18.9% on the year in January-October 2011 to 10.067 million decaliters. Sales of other hard drinks rose 34.9% to 1.772 million decaliters. Sales of cognac went up 34% on the year to 268,400 decaliters. Sales of grape wines went up 14.4% on the year to 2.561 million decaliters. Sales of champagne and sparkling wines went up 26.6% on the year to 1,067,000 decaliters. Sales of fruit wines fell 3.2% to 13.685 million decaliters. Sales of low-alcohol beverages went down 32.1% to 714,400 decaliters.

The share of vodka in the sales of alcoholic beverages in absolute alcohol terms in Belarus grew by 2.9 percentage point from January-October 2010 to 45.6%. The share of other hard drinks rose 1 percentage points to 6%. The share of grape wines in alcohol sales edged up 0.1 percentage point to 4.1%.

Fruit wine sales share decreased 4.2 percentage points to 27.9%. The share of cognac edged up 0.3 percentage points to 1.3%, and of champagne and sparkling wines rose 0.1 percentage points to 1.3%. The share of low-alcohol beverages went down 0.3 percentage point to 0.5%.