Exclusive: Tequila And Whiskey Categories Lead Impact’s “Hot Prospects” Spirits List

Each year, Impact salutes the fast-growing smaller brands from the wine and spirits business with its “Hot Prospect” awards. This year, a total of 66 brands from the wine, spirits, and RTD cocktail categories met Impact Databank’s criteria to earn honors.

To qualify as Hot Prospects, brands must have achieved at least 15% depletions growth for 2023, while also showing consistent growth in the two preceding years. For spirits and imported wines, brand volumes must be between 50,000 and 200,000 cases, while domestic wines and RTDs are between 50,000 and 250,000 cases.

This year, 27 spirits brands earned Hot Prospect awards, including 12 agave spirits (11 Tequilas and one mezcal), eight whiskies, three vodkas, two rums, one liqueur, and one gin. These brands show the propositions succeeding within trendy categories like Tequila and whiskey, as well as what’s on the rise in other segments. This year’s Hot Prospect brands are overwhelmingly new to the list, with 21 of 27 earning their first award. In total, the 27 Hot Prospects add up to 2.26 million cases with an average growth rate of 59% for 2023. For comparison’s sake, in 2020, these brands totaled 516,000 cases.

Hot Prospect spirits brands above 100,000 cases include DeLeon Tequila, Mi Campo Tequila, Wheatley vodka, Licor 43, Empress 1908 gin, Ole Smoky Banana Pudding Cream, and Ole Smoky Moonshine Minis.

For spirits-based RTDs, eight total brands earned Hot Prospect honors for performance in 2023. In all, these brands added up to 672,000 cases and averaged over 400% growth. Among them, only one winner was even present on the market in 2021, with all the rest being more recent launches. RTD Hot Prospects above 90,000 cases include DeLola, Jose Cuervo Authentic Tropical, Topo Chico Spirited, and Vita Coco Spiked.

The full Hot Prospects list, along with comprehensive data and analysis, is featured in Impact’s September 1&15 issue. Click here to subscribe.

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