Market Information & Trade Literature

The material in this section includes sources for someone who is looking for market data, both current and historical. If you are doing historical research there many additional titles covering different time periods, states, and other aspects of the industry you can find in the catalog.

Many of the publishers have moved their content from print titles to online/electronic access so if you are looking for current information look to the publishers. We have linked to some of the publisher in our Internet Resources area.

Market Information

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.

Adams Fact Book
Call Number: HD9351 .J633
Holdings 1994, 1995, 2004. Continues Adams/Jobson's Licensed Beverage Marketing & Merchandising Fact Fook. This covers information by state for facts and regulations.
Beverage Marketing Directory
Call Number: HD9348.U5 N35
Holdings 1978-2017. Previous titles include: National Beverage Marketing Directory of Telephone Numbers & Addresses and then National Beverage Marketing Directory. Covers beer, wine, distilled spirits, and other non-alcoholic beverages. There is a directory of wholesalers, breweries, wineries, distilleries and Canadian information on breweries, microbreweries, wineries etc. There is also a listing of associations, trade publication information. This is continued by the "BMC beverage company database".
Global Drinks Market : Impact Databank Review and Forecast
Call Number: HD9350.4 .G56
Holdings 2006, 2009-2012. This title has a global scope and includes data and information on wines, beer, Champaign, distilled spirits. Also has statistics and forecast information.
Handbook Advance
Call Number: HD9351 .J63
Holdings 1989-1992, 1994, 2004-2016. Formerly Jobson's. Continues Adams Handbook Advance. Information on the U.S. market. Includes information on consumption and trends as well as breakdowns by state and by category for distilled spirits, wine, beer, flavored malt beverages, and cider.
Handbook of Alcoholic Beverages : Technical, Analytical and Nutritional Aspects by Alan J. Buglass
Call Number: TP510 .H36 2011
ISBN: 9780470512029
Published/Created: 2011-02-14
This is a 2 volume title that includes a fair amount of scientific information. Volume one has some history as well as recent trends and developments that would be of interest for those interested in information of a more business nature. It continues with the science and then specific beverages like beer, cereal-based, and other fermented drinks of Asia, Africa, and Central/South America, cider/perry, wines, distilled spirits (scotch whiskey, whiskeys, can spirits, brandy, etc.), etc. Volume 2 is much more about science and nutritional information.
Statistics on Consumption of Alcohol and on Alcoholism by Mark Keller and Carol Gurioli
Call Number: HV5292 .K45 1976
Published/Created: 1976
There are various charts that cover large time periods but not all individual years are documented. One chart has various demographics on drinkers for several more current years and one looks at consumption by state and by liquor type. There is some very general consumption information going back to 1790 but often done every decade or over the decade. There is information on seized stills (starts in 1950) and some information on consumption in other countries. There is a list of references for the data that was used.

Trade Literature

These are just a few of the periodicals printed by the industry there are some journals that are specific to types of alcohol and those are located in the corresponding sections of this guide. This bibliography contains a selection of articles found in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. There are others that you can find by searching further in the catalog.

The Coopers International Journal
Call Number: HD6350.C7 C6
Available online from the Hathi Trust External
This is a more union oriented publication but can still be useful in understanding the barrel making industry which is related to alcoholic beverage trade. It is also known as National Coopers' Journal.
Illinois Beverage Journal
Call Number: HD9351 .I4
Holdings 1953-1991. This is a publication directed at merchants and includes information and articles of interest to merchants and those in the industry. Covers wine, beer, and distilled spirits information often includes price information.
Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin
Call Number: Newspaper Microfilm 1336
Published/Created: 1893-1926
Additional record: sn84031783
The articles in this publication are of a business nature even when they cover non-business events. There are times when they look at particular industries with articles and data. For example, in 1938 the June 3 and June 10 issues had one whole section devoted to the industry with a series of articles "News and Developments in Wine & Spirits." Library holdings are predominately in microfilm and access is in the Newspaper & Current Periodicals Reading Room. Articles do cover a wide swath of commerce and business issues in the United States. There is attention to world commerce as well. This publication begins in 1893 though it has a longer history under a different title. Previous titles: New York Journal of Commerce, Daily Commercial Bulletin and Auction, New York Commercial, and Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin and Commercial.
Liquor Store
Call Number: HD9350.1.L55
Holdings 1934-1994. Also known as Liquor Store Magazine and lastly as Jobson's Beverage Dynamics, this is a trade magazine for retailers so articles and data would interest them.
Mida's Criterion [of the wine and liquor industry]
Call Number: TP500 .M6
Holdings: 1901-1941. with no holdings between 1917 and 1932. This was a publication geared to distillers. Articles and advertisements were of distilleries and the equipment/supplies that they may have needed. Articles were on the people and companies as well as state of the industry. This publication is heavy on the advertisements which often included seals/logs of the company as well as illustrations of the plants themselves. A regular feature were lists with address of the distillers. Does regularly include tax collection data and production often by type, by district/type, by state. Good articles focusing on specific states. There is a collection in each bound volume of pink sheets which were generally about trademarks. One section were those "registered' with Mida's, one on those that were refused, and one that focused on those registered with the Patent office. If you want more of a picture read the post Party like It’s 1912.
Mida's Illustrated Magazine; Advocate of Personal Liberty
Call Number: TP500 .M62
Holdings: 1901-1904. This title was published for "circulating among leading buffets, clubs, hotels, and the general public" so articles were often of a more general interest though there was a heavy interest in the liquor trade and the advertisements were much more geared toward the trade.
Patterson's California Beverage Gazetteer
Call Number: HD9351 .P3
Holdings 1941-1971. This is a publication directed at merchants and includes information and articles of interest to them in particular. Covers wine, beer, and distilled spirits information often includes price information.

Government Data

There are government produces a wealth of data and sometimes Census produces an industry snapshot as it did in the November 2022 "In Keeping With the Holiday Spirit: Import and Export Data on Breweries and Wineries" story. While most of it is not market research specifically, data the collect and publish can be used a part of a market research study. You will need Standard Industrial Classification Codes for historical research and North American Industrial Classification Codes and North American Product Classification System (NAICPS) for more current research. See our guide on Doing Industry Research for more information, but these are the most common codes.

2022 NAICS Codes

Retail Industry

445320 Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers
445110 Grocery Stores

Wholesale Industry

4248 Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers
424810 Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
424820 Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers

Manufacturing Industry Codes

312120 Breweries
312130 Wineries
312140 Distilleries

2022 North American Product Classification System (NAICPS)

11 Food, beverage, and tobacco products, except raw farm products

111 Food and beverages purchased for future consumption, and related products

11101260106 Beer, ale, and malt beverages

11101260107 Alcoholic beverages, except beer

11102010110 Wholesaling services for alcoholic beverages

11103010112 Retailing services for alcoholic beverages

11201010102 Alcoholic beverages, prepared and served or dispensed for immediate consumption

SIC Codes

Retail Industry

5181 Beer and Ale
5182 Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverages
5141 Groceries, General Line

Wholesale Industry

4248 Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers

Manufacturing Industry Codes

2082 Malt Beverages
2083 Malt
2084 Wines, Brandy, and Brandy Spirits
2085 Distilled and Blended Liquors

Alcohol and Public Health (CDC)
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. (NHANES) is a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. It covers various topics but does include alcohol consumption as a part of the public health discussion. The best way to access this data and related material is via their topics.
Economic Census
This is the biggest of the economic data activities undertaken by the Census Bureau. It began in 1930 as an outgrowth of the Census of Manufactures and other reports on economic activity. Information is shown by industry code (NAICS from the 1997 Census forward and SIC for prior years) and geographically by state with industry code breakdowns. In addition to displaying data by industry codes, the Economic Census also shows data by Product Codes that can be even more specific. For example, if one were tracking pharmacies, one would use the SIC/NAICS for independent pharmacies. But to capture those supermarkets with pharmacies, one would use the SIC/NAICS for supermarkets and then look for the product code for those supermarkets that have pharmacies. There are also several subsets of data that are updated more frequently. Those include: the Annual Survey of Manufactures, the Annual Retail Trade Survey, and the Annual Wholesale Trade Survey. Another report to be aware of is the Franchise Statistics Report.
It was produced at varying intervals until 1967 but since then it has been issued once every five years. The Economic Census shows data on the national and state level. The Bureau web page has data from the Censuses for 1992, 1997, and 2002 (and going forward) though under Economic Census By Year, data goes back to 1977.
ERS Food Expenditure Series
The ERS Food Expenditure Series is produced by the USDA. Its goal is to contribute "to the analysis of U.S. food production and consumption by constructing a comprehensive measure of the total value of all food expenditures by final purchasers." It includes things like: Nominal food and alcohol expenditures, with taxes and tips, for all purchasers; Constant dollar food and alcohol expenditures, with taxes and tips, for all purchasers; archived reporting data.
Global Agricultural Trade System
The Global Agricultural Trade System is provided y Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) which is part of the Department of Agriculture. It provides "current and historical data on international trade in agricultural, fish, forest and textile products."
NAICS concordances
This is a way to find out previous NAICS codes and SIC codes for the industry.
Wine, Beer and Spirits by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Data sets and reports on various food and agricultural projects including alcoholic beverages beer, wine, and distilled spirits in terms of trade, nutrition, and consumption. There are also brief reports about other countries produced by the Foreign Agricultural Service. The Agricultural Research Service has also used CDC data for reports including a technical report "Alcoholic Beverage Consumption by Adults 21 Years and Over in the United States: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2006."

Alcoholic Beverage Industry

Market Information & Trade Literature