Craft Spirits Category Volume Tops 14 Million Cases

The U.S. craft spirits market is now above 14 million 9-liter cases, according to data released yesterday by the American Craft Spirits Association. The report shows that by volume the market was up 6.1% and by value up 5.3% in 2022, the most recent year for which data was available, reaching just under $8 billion. “In 2022, the craft spirits category experienced normalizing of volume and growth post-pandemic,” said ACSA CEO Margie Lehrman. “Craft continues to outperform the larger spirits category.”

The total number of craft distillers has now reached 2,753, and they account for a 7.7% value share of the U.S. spirits market along with a 4.9% volume share. Craft distillers are defined as producing fewer than 394,317 cases (750,000 proof gallons), which “market themselves as craft, are not openly controlled by a large supplier, and have no proven violation of the ACSA Code of Ethics,” according to the ACSA. Further, the group breaks producers into small, medium, large categories, with small distillers producing from one to roughly 5,200 cases a year, medium from 5,200 to 52,000, and large up to the maximum of roughly 395,000 cases.

The 43 large craft distillers produce more than half of category volume at 7.6 million cases, averaging 178,000 cases each. The 249 medium-sized craft distillers averaged 19,000 cases, contributing 4.8 million cases in total, while the 2,418 small distillers produced an average of 657 cases, totaling 1.6 million cases.—Shane English

Tagged : American Craft Spirits Association

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