OREANDA-NEWS. September 6, 2010. Belarus’ vodka and hard liquor output decreased 0.9% on the year in January-July 2010 to 8 million decaliters, an official with Belarus’ National Statistics Committee told.

In value terms, vodka and hard liquor output decreased 0.9% to 386.9 billion Belarusian rubles (Br).

Wine product output rose 8.1% to 433.7 billion rubles.

In the period, cognac output amounted to 124,000 decaliters, down 15.1% on the year. “Cognac” is a name used to denote a type of brandy in the former Soviet Union.

Belarus’ output of grape wines increased 13.4% on the year to 1.22 million decaliters, and the output of fruit wines rose 4.3% to 10.1 million decaliters. The production of sparkling wines went up 15.7% on the year in the period to 751,000 decaliters.

Inventories of vodka and other liquors amounted to 1 million decaliters on August 1, 2010, 74.2% of the monthly output, to the amount of 66.5 billion rubles, 120.2% of the monthly output.

Inventories of wine products were at 75 billion rubles, 121.6% of the monthly output.

Vodka sales decreased 2.1% on the year in January-July 2010 to 6.412 million decaliters. Sales of other hard drinks rose 29.6% to 930,200 decaliters, sales of grape wines went up 15.7% on the year to 1.643 million decaliters.

Sales of cognac went up 23.9% to 153,100 decaliters, sales of sparkling wines went up 5.8% on the year to 626,300 decaliters. Sales of fruit wines increased 3.9% to 9.933 million decaliters.

The share of vodka in the sales of alcoholic beverages [in absolute alcohol terms on August 1, 2010] in Belarus decreased to 44.2% in January-July 2010 from 47.2% in January-July 2009. The share of other hard drinks rose 0.9 of a percentage point to 4.8%. The share of grape wines in alcohol sales edged up 0.4 of a percentage point to 4%.

Fruit wine sales share decreased 0.2 of a percentage point to 30.8%.

The share of cognac edged up 0.2 of a percentage point to 1% and of sparkling wines remained unchanged at 1.2 percentage points.