South Korea’s Whisky Imports Fell 24.0% After Consumers Shifted to Cheaper and Premium Bottles

South Korea’s whisky market is losing volume and splitting by price, as consumers move toward either cheaper bottles or high-end releases while the middle of the market weakens.

Data cited by the Korea Customs Service and major retailers show that whisky imports into South Korea fell sharply in the first seven months of 2026. Import volume dropped to 10,658 tons from 14,026 tons in the same period a year earlier, a decline of 3,368 tons, or 24.0%. The figures were reported in South Korea on Aug. 24. The published report did not provide the import value for January through July 2026 and did not link to the underlying customs table for that period.

The slowdown follows a weaker 2025. South Korea imported 22,582 tons of whisky last year, down from 27,440 tons in 2024, a drop of 4,858 tons, or 17.7%. Import value fell 9.0% to $226.85 million. Because the value decline was smaller than the volume decline, the implied average import value per ton increased by about 10.6%, suggesting that the mix of imported whisky became more expensive even as total physical demand fell.

Retail sales data show that consumers are not leaving the category altogether. Instead, they are concentrating their spending at the low and high ends. E-Mart said sales of whisky priced below 30,000 won rose 30% in 2025 from a year earlier. Sales of bottles priced above 200,000 won rose 28%. In the middle band, however, whisky priced between 30,000 won and 100,000 won fell by about 19%.

Other convenience store chains reported a similar pattern. At CU, whisky priced below 50,000 won accounted for 67.6% of total whisky sales from January through May this year. GS25 said sales of whisky in the 10,000 won range rose 20.8% in January and February from the same period a year earlier. At 7-Eleven, bottles priced below 30,000 won made up 76.9% of whisky sales as of August, up from 37.5% in 2021. That is an increase of 39.4 percentage points in five years.

At the premium end, retailers said demand remains strong for limited releases and higher-priced products. Lotte Mart sold 288 bottles of “Kim Chang-soo Whisky Lotus 50 Degrees” in July as a limited production release. In the first half of this year, sales of Western spirits at Lotte Mart rose 2.3% from a year earlier, and the category moved ahead of wine to become the retailer’s second-largest alcohol segment by sales. E-Mart24 said its exclusive “Kim Chang-soo Whisky Celestial Series,” priced at 235,000 won, sold out in two minutes.

The change in buying patterns is adding pressure to established whisky companies that built their business around broader middle-market demand. Golden Blue, one of South Korea’s main whisky companies, posted revenue of 232.3 billion won in 2022 during the post-pandemic whisky boom. Revenue then fell to 224.2 billion won in 2023, 209.4 billion won in 2024, and 168.7 billion won in 2025. In the first half of this year, the company reported standalone revenue of 43.0 billion won, down 27.3% from a year earlier, and an operating loss of 3.3 billion won, compared with an operating profit a year earlier.

Other major players also reported weaker results. Pernod Ricard Korea said revenue for its 2025 fiscal year, which ran from July 2024 through June 2025, fell 31.1% to 120.7 billion won. Operating profit dropped 71.6% to 15.1 billion won. Diageo Korea reported revenue of 160.6 billion won and operating profit of 9.4 billion won for the same fiscal period, down 1.2% and 48.1%, respectively.

Industry officials and retailers say broader changes in drinking habits are also affecting demand. South Korea’s alcohol market has been shifting away from heavier group drinking centered on company dinners and toward lighter, more individualized consumption. Consumers are buying across more categories and choosing products based on price, novelty, and specific occasions. That has helped lower-priced whisky gain share as an affordable purchase, while limited and premium bottles continue to attract buyers looking for exclusivity.

The result is a market that looks increasingly polarized. Low-cost products are taking a larger share of everyday sales, and premium labels are still able to generate fast sellouts and higher unit values. The part of the market in between, once a core space for mainstream whisky brands, is facing the sharpest squeeze as imports fall and retailers adjust to a different pattern of demand.