Belagavi: This New Year marked a subtle yet significant shift in Belagavi’s celebratory culture. Costly whisky gave way to beer as the preferred companion for ringing in the New Year, a drink to sip leisurely with friends despite the cold. As revellers toasted 2026, one thing was evident: no matter how low the temperatures dipped, the hands popping open beer bottles remained steady. The closing days of Dec brought a biting chill to the district. However, the cold did little to dampen New Year celebrations. Wrapped in jackets, mufflers and caps, shivering revellers were seen ushering in 2026 with chilled beer bottles in hand, a scene across Belagavi district on New Year’s eve.Official data from the excise department points to a clear shift in drinking preferences on Dec 31, 2025. As many as 1,62,344 bottles of beer were consumed across the district, 7,525 bottles more than on the corresponding day last year, underscoring beer’s growing popularity even during peak winter.The trend was markedly different for whisky. The long-held notion that ‘winter means whisky’ appeared to falter this year, with overall whisky consumption in the district dropping from 75,904 bottles in 2024 to 70,865 bottles in 2025, a decline of 5,039 bottles.Beer takes centre stageTraditionally, colder weather drove consumers towards whisky, but this New Year’s eve told a different story. Belagavi residents seemed content to brave the cold with beer as their preferred drink. Belagavi taluk alone accounted for 77,351 bottles of beer, far outpacing other taluks.Beer consumption also recorded notable increases in Savadatti and Ramdurg taluks. In Savadatti, sales rose from 26,507 to 28,773 bottles, while Ramdurg saw an increase from 17,969 to 18,312 bottles. Bailhongal registered a marginal rise, whereas Khanapur witnessed a slight dip in beer consumption.As beer surged, whisky appeared to lose its traditional winter appeal. Sales declined sharply in several regions, dropping by 1,693 bottles in Savadatti, 1,399 bottles in Ramdurg, and 1,387 bottles in Bailhongal compared to last year.
