Impact’s “Hot Brand” Whiskies Tracking Further Growth At Mid-Year
August 19, 2024Earlier this year, 14 spirits labels earned Impact “Hot Brand” honors for their 2023 performances, leading industry growth over the past year. Midway through 2024, the vast majority of them remain in double-digit growth in NABCA data, auguring well for another successful full-year campaign.
Six whiskies of various styles were named Hot Brands—Woodford Reserve, Buchanan’s, Buffalo Trace, Old Forester, Ole Smoky, and Crown Royal Salted Caramel—and all of them remained on the rise in control states in the year-to-date through June. Woodford Reserve has grown to become the sixth-largest American whiskey brand in the U.S. at 1.4 million cases, according to Impact Databank, and it grew 6% in control states in the first half. The brand has branched out with a steady stream of new offerings, most recently including Blended Malt, part of its Distillery Series, which retails at $65 a 375-ml.
Woodford portfoliomate Old Forester, also a Hot Brand, rose 7% in control states through June, and is also climbing Bourbon’s leaderboard, with volume likely to cross a half-million cases this year. From Sazerac, Buffalo Trace likewse kept up the momentum in the first half, jumping 33% in NABCA markets, after entering the top 10 Bourbons in the U.S. with 17% U.S. growth last year to 495,000 cases.
From Tennessee, Ole Smoky has volume in excess of 1 million cases, led by its moonshines. But its Tennessee whiskey earned Hot Brand accolades in its own right, up 25% to just under 400,000 cases last year. So far in 2024, it has increased at a solid 6% by volume in control markets. Ole Smoky inked a national deal with Southern Glazer’s late last year.
Diageo had two whisky Hot Brands this year in Buchanan’s and Crown Royal Salted Caramel. The latter has continued to soar in 2024, vaulting more than 200% in NABCA channels through June. Buchanan’s, which approached 800,000 cases in the U.S. last year, according to Impact Databank, has been lapping the launch of its popular Pineapple flavor, and dipped 5% in control markets in the first half.—Daniel Marsteller
We’ll discuss the year-to-date performance of Impact’s Hot Brand Tequilas and other spirits in an upcoming issue.
| Impact’s “Hot Brand” Spirits At Mid-Year | |||||
| Brand1 | Company | Origin/Type | Total 2023 Volume2 |
Control States Volume Growth 2024 YTD3 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tito’s | Fifth Generation | Vodka | 12.19 | -0.3% | |
| Don Julio | Diageo | Tequila | 2.38 | 49.7% | |
| Woodford Reserve | Brown-Forman | Bourbon | 1.42 | 6.4% | |
| Espolòn | Campari America | Tequila | 1.37 | 29.2% | |
| Lunazul | Heaven Hill Brands | Tequila | 1.27 | 26.8% | |
| Teremana | Mast-Jagermeister US | Tequila | 1.00 | 25.4% | |
| Buchanan’s | Diageo | Scotch Whisky | 0.79 | -5.3% | |
| Milagro | William Grant & Sons | Tequila | 0.78 | 18.7% | |
| Aperol | Campari America | Imported Liqueur | 0.55 | 12.5% | |
| Buffalo Trace | Sazerac Co | Bourbon | 0.49 | 32.5% | |
| Old Forester | Brown-Forman | Bourbon | 0.49 | 6.9% | |
| 99 | Sazerac Co | Domestic Cordials | 0.49 | 31.9% | |
| Ole Smoky | Ole Smoky Distillery | Tennessee Whiskey | 0.40 | 5.8% | |
| Crown Royal Salted Caramel |
Diageo | Canadian Whisky | 0.24 | 213.5% | |
| 1 includes flavors; excludes RTDs 2 millions of 9-liter cases 3 year-to-date through June Source: NABCA and IMPACT DATABANK © 2024 |
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Tagged : Brown-Forman, Buchanan's, Buffalo Trace, Crown Royal, Diageo, Old Forester, Ole Smoky, Woodford
