Kazakhstan's alcohol industry represents a multi-billion sector of the economy with clearly defined leaders. According to the Bureau of National Statistics for 2022, 755.9 million litres of beer, 92.1 million litres of vodka and liqueur products, 48.9 million litres of wine, and 22.1 million litres of cognac were sold in the country. The average alcohol consumption by residents over 15 years old is 6.38 litres per year.
Our colleagues at Juzmedia.kz investigated who controls this market and how much profit the industry generates.
BEER SEGMENT
Kazakhstan's beer market is traditionally controlled by two large international companies. "Efes Kazakhstan", founded in 1997, holds 47% of the country's beer market. The company owns three breweries: two in the Almaty region and one in Karaganda.
According to information on the official website, production capacity allows for the output of approximately 5,150 litres of beer per hour. It is reported that in 2024, the company transferred over 25 billion tenge to the state budget. The enterprise is managed by Kurt Ertan, with the owner listed as Efes Breweries International N.V. According to the company's website, it is part of the multinational Efes Beer Group, which unites 34 companies in Turkey, Eastern Europe, and CIS countries.
The second major player is "Carlsberg Kazakhstan", part of the international Carlsberg Group. The company is registered in Almaty, and its director is Vyacheslav Maltsev. The founders are the investment company "Carlsberg Invest A/S" and the Swedish "Carlsberg Sverige Aktiebolag", which is part of the Danish Carlsberg Group. The company's tax payments in 2023 exceeded 35 billion tenge, higher than the indicators of its main competitor.
PRODUCERS OF STRONG ALCOHOL
Several significant producers operate in the strong spirits market. Kokshetau Mineral Waters JSC, registered in 2006, produces both alcoholic and non-alcoholic products. Since 2016, the company has participated in public procurement, concluding 767 contracts for a total amount of 439 million tenge. 
The company is owned through Asia Su Kompaniyasy LLP by Muslim Umiriyaev and Shalkar Nurtleuov. Muslim Umiriyaev previously held the position of Vice Minister of Agriculture. In 2014, he was sentenced to 10 years for bribery, but in 2016, the case was reclassified as "abuse of official power", the sentence was reduced to 4 years, and subsequently commuted to restriction of liberty.
Shalkar Nurtleuov is the younger brother of Murat Nurtleu, who was dismissed from his posts as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister at the end of September 2025, after which he moved to the Presidential Administration to take up the position of Assistant for International Investment and Trade Cooperation.
GLOBAL BEVERAGES HOLDING
In 2020, the holding company "Global Beverages" was created, uniting several large alcohol producers. It includes the Petropavlovsk Vodka Factory, the Aktobe plant "Geom", the "Kentavr" distillery, and the "Alfa Organic" malt distillery in Stepnogorsk. The holding also produces non-alcoholic products. The director and sole founder is Muslim Umiriyaev.
It is noted that since 2021, the company has participated in public procurement, concluding 319 contracts for 140 million tenge. The holding's tax payments amounted to almost 2 billion tenge in 2023 and 1.4 billion tenge in 2024.
The Aktobe plant "Geom", operating since 1995, is among the holding's key assets. The Kazakh people's love for strong drinks brings the company considerable profit, judging by its tax payments.
As an example, let us also take the Petropavlovsk Vodka Factory, which, despite large revenues, has a debt to the budget amounting to 36,820 tenge.
It is reported that through its subsidiary EFG Almaty LLP, the holding owns the "Vympel Group" plant and the "Alpha-2050" distillery. Vympel Group LLP, registered in Almaty in 2000, paid its maximum taxes in 2023 — almost 7 billion tenge. In 2024, tax payments amounted to 3.3 billion tenge.
The third subsidiary — Winalco Group LLP — is engaged in the sale of finished alcoholic products. In addition to Umiriyaev's holding, the owners include Dmitry Potorocha, Ruslan Godunov, and Malik Erkinbaev — the father of Yerzhan Erkinbaev, who left his post as Vice Minister of Tourism and Sport in August 2025 to head Kazakh Tourism Development within the structure of the "Baiterek" holding. Tax payments by Winalco Group LLP do not exceed 800 million tenge.
CONCLUSION
Kazakhstan's alcohol industry is a structured market dominated by large international and domestic companies. The total tax payments of the main players amount to tens of billions of tenge annually, making the sector a significant source of tax revenue for the state budget.
Issues of regulating the industry remain relevant. Not long ago, the Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed limiting alcohol sales exclusively to specialised alcohol stores with a limited number of licenses. Previously, the FBRK editorial team, in its investigation, noted that with a market volume of almost 600 billion tenge, such measures could lead to further concentration of business in the hands of the largest players and the creation of monopolies.
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