5 Top Alcohol Stocks for 2025

Alcohol was discovered not long after the dawn of civilization. Given its age, the global alcohol industry is hardly a fast-growing investment. However, through good economic times and bad, alcohol stocks enjoy steady rates of consumer consumption.

The alcohol industry, as well as the related beer and wine industries, is dominated by massive conglomerates. Since most small-batch craft producers are privately owned, this market is mostly devoid of small, fast-growing, publicly traded companies. Nevertheless, alcohol stocks are worth considering for investors seeking stable growth and dividend income over time.

Top alcohol stocks for 2025

Five top alcohol stocks for 2025

Alcohol is a big business. It overlaps the water utility segment of the economy a bit because the alcohol-distilling process consumes a significant amount of local water supplies. Alcohol production is also adjacent to wheat, grains, and farming and agriculture, so there are stocks to bet on in those areas, too.

But when it comes to slow-and-steady beverage businesses, alcohol tends to enjoy stable sales, even when general consumer spending takes a hit elsewhere. Sometimes, alcohol sales even increase when the economy takes a turn for the worse, as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Recession of 2008-09.

There is some overlap with the beer-making business, too. For example, Budweiser parent AB InBev (BUD 1.54%) and smaller peers Constellation Brands (STZ -1.41%), which makes Corona and Modelo, as well as Boston Beer Company (SAM -1.32%), which produces Samuel Adams, all own brands that lie outside their core brewing operations.

However, the following five stocks are known for their top-shelf alcohol offerings.

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1. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton

France's LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton is the premier name in all things luxury goods. But champagne and other ultra-high-end spirits feature prominently in this diverse portfolio of high fashion. In fact, the company's name says as much. LVMH owns champagne house Moët Chandon, cognac maker Hennessy, and other brands, including Dom Pérignon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, and more.

LVMH -- whose CEO, Bernard Arnault, was one of the richest people in the world as of early 2025 -- has been a winner on the stock market historically as its diversified portfolio of luxury goods, which includes fashion and leather goods, jewelry and watches, wines and spirits, and perfumes and cosmetics, has delivered steady growth, though recently the company has struggled due to challenges in China.

Still, this is a long-term growth business since its fashion collection is highly sought after worldwide, and it's been able to grow through acquisitions, taking over Tiffany in 2021, for example. LVMH also pays a modest dividend to complement the steady expansion of its portfolio of fashion, champagne, and other luxury goods.

2. Diageo

Diageo is the U.K.'s largest alcohol producer. It's also one of the world's largest businesses almost solely devoted to distilled products. Although it has a beer business -- Irish brewer Guinness is one of its subsidiaries -- Scotch whisky is the real breadwinner here. Diageo is the parent of Johnnie Walker, Buchanan's, J&B, and Lagavulin. Other spirits brands outside its ample whisky business include Smirnoff, Baileys, and Tanqueray.

It's an enviable stable of alcohol names, and Diageo has been able to coax steady growth from its portfolio for years. It's also a highly profitable operation, historically generating an operating profit margin that tops 30% annually, with an operating margin of 29.6% in 2024, though reported revenue fell due to challenges in 2024. Nevertheless, due to its exceptional financials, Diageo is a top dividend income stock to consider from the alcohol stock universe.

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3. Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is another house of alcohol brands tailored to wide-ranging tastes. The French company owns Pernod and Ricard, two anise-flavored liqueurs from which the company's name is derived. It also owns Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin, Chivas Regal Scotch whisky, Jameson Irish whiskey, Kahlua, Malibu, and many other labels.

Much like the other brands on this list, Pernod Ricard isn't the fastest-growing business around. Revenue recovered from a small pullback in 2020 when sales briefly dipped during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it reported an organic sales decline of 1% for fiscal 2024, or 4% on a reported basis, which does not adjust for currency. The company also has enviable operating profit margins nearing the 30% range.  

4. Brown-Forman

While Kentucky-based Brown-Forman had its share of difficulties during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the leading maker of Tennessee and Kentucky whiskeys has enjoyed an overall increase in sales over the last five years. However, the company has struggled more recently and said it would cut 12% of the global workforce due to a general slowdown in the spirits industry and the threat of 50% tariffs imposed by the European Union.

Brown-Forman's whiskey brands include Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester. It also owns a few Scotch whisky and tequila labels, Chambord liqueur, some wineries, and more. It generates operating margins well above 30% and uses them to reinvest in organic growth and to make the occasional acquisition. It also pays a small dividend for investors looking for a little income along the way.

5. Rémy Cointreau

Closing out our list of alcohol stocks is another French company, Rémy Cointreau, best known for its cognacs, Louis XIII and Rémy Martin, and its orange-flavored liqueur Cointreau. A number of other distilled products, such as gin, rum, and a champagne house, round out the company's offerings.

Remy Cointreau has struggled of late, reporting an organic sales decline of 16% in the first half of fiscal 2025 as demand has been sluggish in China, and retailers in the U.S. have pulled back on high-end amid a shift in demand and inflationary pressure. The company is working on fostering growth in its portfolio by elevating its brands' profiles as premium choices.

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A slow but steady industry

Alcohol production is an old business, and the alcohol industry is far from the fastest-growing segment of the stock market. The investable portion of the industry is dominated by a few giants that are slow-and-steady stalwarts. However, for investors looking to generate some income and enjoy stable returns over time, alcohol stocks and their beer stock cousins are worth a look.

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