Mid-Year Update: The Leading Whiskies In The U.S., Part 2

In part one of this mid-year update on the whisk(e)y category in the U.S., we discussed the leading American whiskies in the market. In part two the focus is on imported offerings like Crown Royal, Jameson, and Johnnie Walker, as U.S. consumers continue to explore across whisk(e)y segments.

Dominant Irish whiskey label Jameson grew 4.4% to a total of 4.2 million cases in the U.S. in 2022, according to Impact Databank. The Pernod Ricard brand has added 1 million cases of annual U.S. volume over the past five years and accounts for just under 80% of the entire Irish whiskey category. While the core brand slipped slightly in control states in the first half of 2023, the franchise has successfully expanded with RTDs and flavor offshoots like Jameson Orange recently. Jameson RTDs jumped out to 176,000 cases in their first year on the market last year. “Our research has shown that 72% of U.S. buyers of Jameson Ginger and Lime are new to the Jameson family,” says Simon Fay, business acceleration director at Irish Distillers.

Scotch whisky leader Johnnie Walker was roughly flat overall last year at 2 million cases in the U.S.. But the brand posted a small volume increase in control states through the first six months of 2023. Overall, Diageo says its share of the Scotch whisky market in North America is closing in on 40% after steady increases the past few years. Led by upscale offerings like Johnnie Walker Blue, the company’s North American value growth in the category has averaged about 5% over the past four years. Globally, Scotch represents just over a quarter of Diageo’s total sales.

Meanwhile, portfoliomate Crown Royal remains the top-selling whisk(e)y brand in the U.S. overall, with total volume of 7.2 million cases in 2022, including flavors. Diageo CEO Debra Crew recently noted that Crown Royal was among the brands most disrupted by shortages the past few years and is now benefiting from supply chain normalization, with depletions running ahead of shipments. “We still think we have opportunity with Crown,” she said. “We’re now able to innovate on the brand. We’ve also got some really strong marketing plans as well.”

Flavored whisk(e)y juggernaut Fireball is right on Crown Royal’s heels from a volume perspective, depleting 7.15 million cases in the U.S. overall last year. Fireball rose 1.1% in control states in the current year-to-date. In recent days, Fireball announced the launch of Fireball Dragnum, a special edition packaged in a 1.75-liter Champagne-style bottle retailing at $25. The past several months have marked a period of change for brand-owner Sazerac, which welcomed a new president and CEO, Jake Wenz, this summer after announcing a broad diversification of its U.S. distributor alignment at the start of the year.

Tagged : Crown Royal, Diageo, Fireball, Jameson, Johnnie Walker, Pernod Ricard, Sazerac

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