The volume of spirits, wine and beer purchased by consumers and licensed vendors declined more than five per cent over the past year, according to the annual report of the NWT Liquor Commission.
In Yellowknife consumers bought 1,472,000 litres of booze in 1996, down from 1,566,000 in 1995.
Sales to licensed business declined at much the same rate, dropping to 712,000 litres in 1996 from 723,000 litres in 1995.
But the annual report shows the value of the sales continues to rise.
Sales to consumers increased to $11.6 million from $11.1 million last year, while sales to licensed vendors reached $3.8 million in 1996, up from $3.6 million in 1995.
During the year, however, liquor sold across the NWT went from a percentage system of mark-up to a flat rate per litre system.
So have local bar owners and managers noticed a change in people's drinking habits?
"For me it's hard to tell because my bar is three times bigger than last year," said Pierre Lepage, co-owner of Broadway on 51 St.
My sales are way up, but it is hard to say if people are drinking less, he said.
The Polar Bowl's George Lund said increased competition, a sluggish economy and the cost of booze are in part behind the decline he has noticed over the years.
"And a lot of people are into making their own home brew," he added.
The trend of buying less alcohol has been consistent in the NWT for the last five years except in 1995 when the volume of liquor rose to 4.5 million litres, close to the high of 4.7 million in 1992.
Statistics for 1996 are from April 1, 1995, to March 31, 1996.