Impact’s “Hot Brand” Spirits Continuing To Climb At Mid-Year
August 11, 2025Earlier this year, Impact saluted the best-performing spirits brands in the industry with its annual “Hot Brands” honor roll. The list featured 11 labels from the Tequila, vodka, Canadian whisky, Bourbon, and liqueurs categories that soared to new heights in 2024. This year, those same brands have continued to see growth in control states through June, most of them at sturdy double-digit rates.
The Tequila category boasted the most Hot Brands this year, and the five Tequila brands on the list are all showing continued gains in 2025. They’re led by Diageo-owned Don Julio, which has benefited from a surge in its Reposado expression and is up 35% by volume in control states so far this year, after surpassing 3.3 million cases in the U.S. overall in 2024, according to Impact Databank.
Lunazul, from Heaven Hill Brands, and Cazadores, from Bacardi, are also keeping a torrid pace this year, with their control state volume growth currently registering 17% and 20% respectively, as is Constellation’s Mi Campo label, which is up 55%. Campari-owned Espolon and Mast-Jagermeister-imported Teremana have risen 9% and 6% respectively in control markets through June.
From the whisk(e)y category, Diageo’s Crown Royal has received a boost from its Blackberry flavor expression, which jumped out to 625,000 cases in the U.S. overall last year and is up 15% in control states this year. “Don Julio, led by Reposado, and Crown Royal, led by Blackberry, continued their strong momentum, including distribution and household penetration gains,” noted Diageo interim CEO Nik Jhangiani last week, reviewing the company’s annual results.
Buffalo Trace from Sazerac represented the Bourbon category on this year’s Hot Brand list after making it to 600,000 cases in the U.S. last year. This year the brand is up 21% in control states through June, even as the Bourbon category has seen a slowdown. Sazerac’s Wheatley vodka label is likewise climbing rapidly, jumping 58% in control markets this year.
William Grant & Sons fielded a spirits Hot Brand in Reyka, its Icelandic vodka label, which is now above 230,000 cases in the U.S. and rising at 6% in control states in 2025. And Campari continues to drive growth in liqueurs with Aperol, which crossed 600,000 cases in the U.S. last year and saw control state volume increase 11% in the first half of this year. –Daniel Marsteller
| Impact’s 2024 Spirits “Hot Brands” | ||||||
| Brand | Company | Origin/Type | Total 2024 U.S. Volume1 |
Control States’ Volume Growth 2025 YTD2 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Julio | Diageo | Tequila | 3,325 | 34.5% | ||
| Lunazul | Heaven Hill | Tequila | 1,743 | 16.9% | ||
| Espolon | Campari | Tequila | 1,578 | 9.3% | ||
| Teremana | Mast-Jagermeiser US | Tequila | 1,107 | 6.1% | ||
| Cazadores | Bacardi | Tequila | 924 | 20.3% | ||
| Crown Royal Blackberry | Diageo | Canadian Whisky | 625 | 15.1% | ||
| Aperol | Campari | Imported Liqueur | 604 | 10.7% | ||
| Buffalo Trace | Sazerac | Bourbo | 600 | 21.1% | ||
| Reyka | William Grant & Sons | Imported Vodka | 231 | 5.7% | ||
| Mi Campo | Constellation | Tequila | 212 | 55.0% | ||
| Wheatley | Sazerac | American Vodka | 210 | 58.2% | ||
| Total Spirits “Hot Brands” | 11,159 | 18.8% | ||||
| 1 Thousands of 9-liter case depletions. 2 Year-to-date June. Source: NABCA and IMPACT DATABANK © 2025 |
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Tagged : Aperol, Cazadores, Don Julio, Hot Brands, Lunazul, Mi Campo, Reyka, Sazerac, Teremana
