Exclusive: High Noon, Crown Royal Push U.S. Spirits Market To 29th Straight Increase
January 2, 2025While conditions have been difficult in the U.S. market over the past year, the spirits category posted its 29th consecutive annual gain by volume, with depletions up 2.5% to 306.6 million 9-liter cases, according to Impact Databank. Much of the gain was driven by increases in the Tequila and RTD categories, with most other areas of the market in decline.
Among the top 10 spirits brands in the U.S., only two achieved positive growth last year, with Gallo juggernaut High Noon seltzer extending its lead as the top-ranked brand and Diageo’s Crown Royal also defying trends and pushing forward. High Noon is now the largest spirits brand in volume terms by a two-to-one margin after jumping an estimated 13% to just under 25 million cases last year.
Crown Royal leapfrogged fellow Canadian whisky Fireball to become the fourth-largest spirits label at 7.2 million cases, including flavors, on a 2.9% increase. Crown Royal looms even larger on a value basis, ranking second behind only Tito’s in terms of retail dollar value, at well over $2 billion. (Diageo’s Don Julio Tequila has also surged in value terms lately, and is close on Crown Royal’s heels, now ranking third by retail value overall.)
Among other top-10 brands by volume, Tito’s saw its long-term growth run finally come to an end last year, as it dipped an estimated 0.2% to 12.2 million cases amid heightened competition from RTDs. Gallo’s New Amsterdam vodka was flat at 5.4 million cases for the year, while Diageo-owned Smirnoff slipped 4.8% to 8 million cases.
In the brown spirits segment, Fireball also declined last year, with volume down 1.7% to 7.1 million cases, and Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam likewise battled a tough market, decreasing 6% and 4% respectively, including their flavored offshoots.
Finally, sixth-ranked Bacardi surrendered about 300,000 cases as it slipped 4.7% to 6.2 million cases, and 10th-ranked Jose Cuervo fell just below the 5-million-case mark on a 2.4% decline from the previous year.
Last month, Sazerac Co. became the industry’s largest supplier in volume terms on a pro forma basis, after its purchase of Svedka vodka from Constellation Brands. But Diageo remains the market leader in dollar terms by an almost two-to-one margin, according to Impact Databank.—Daniel Marsteller
| Top 10 Spirits Brands in the U.S. (millions of 9-liter cases) |
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| Rank | Brand | Company | Origin/Type | 2023 | 2024E | Percent Change1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Noon | Spirit of Gallo | Hard Seltzer | 21.9 | 24.8 | 13.0% |
| 2 | Tito’s | Fifth Generation | Domestic Vodka | 12.2 | 12.2 | -0.2% |
| 3 | Smirnoff2 | Diageo | Domestic Vodka | 8.4 | 8.0 | -4.8% |
| 4 | Crown Royal2 | Diageo | Canadian Whisky | 7.0 | 7.2 | 2.9% |
| 5 | Fireball | Sazerac | Flavored Canadian Whisky | 7.2 | 7.1 | -1.7% |
| 6 | Bacardi2 | Bacardi USA | Puerto Rican Rum | 6.5 | 6.2 | -4.7% |
| 7 | Jack Daniel’s2 | Brown-Forman | Tennessee Whiskey | 6.5 | 6.1 | -6.0% |
| 8 | Jim Beam2 | Suntory Global Spirits | Bourbon | 5.7 | 5.5 | -4.0% |
| 9 | New Amsterdam | Spirit of Gallo | Domestic Vodka | 5.4 | 5.4 | 0.0% |
| 10 | Jose Cuervo2 | Proximo Spirits | Tequila | 5.0 | 4.9 | -2.4% |
| Total Top 103 | 85.7 | 87.1 | 1.7% | |||
| 1 Based on unrounded data. 2 Excludes RTD/RTS. 3 Addition of columns may not agree due to rounding.Source:IMPACT DATABANK © 2025 |
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Tagged : Bacardi, Crown Royal, Diageo, Fireball, Gallo, High Noon, Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Jose Cuervo, New Amsterdam, Proximo, Sazerac, Smirnoff, Tito's
