Spirits Trends Improve In Control States
August 25, 2025After a 2% decrease through the first half of the year, spirits volumes rose 1.6% in control states in the month of July, slowing the year-to-date decline to a more modest 1.2%, according to NABCA. Spirits had declined 0.9% in control states in 2024, but the overall spirits market managed a 1.3% increase last year, according to Impact Databank—due primarily to the continued growth in pre-packaged cocktails and Tequila.
Among the 15 largest suppliers in control states, the fastest-growing by far is Philadelphia-based Stateside Brands, owing to the rapid increase of its Surfside RTD label. This year, Surfside expanded its lineup with green tea-based cocktails and also launched The Longboard, a new 700-ml. can. Pre-mixed cocktails increased 26.6% through seven months of 2025 in control states. By year-end, RTDs are expected to surpass vodka as the largest-selling spirits category in volume terms, according to Impact Databank.
Tito’s vodka remains the largest-selling spirit in NABCA markets by a two-to-one margin over Diageo’s Smirnoff vodka and Sazerac’s Fireball cinnamon whisky, but Gallo-owned High Noon is number-one by volume in the U.S. market overall by more than a two-to-one margin. Beyond low-proof RTDs, Don Julio Tequila remains the fastest-growing brand among the largest-sellers in control states with a 34.5% volume increase year-to-date, and is projected to be the overall market’s largest spirits brand in dollar terms by year-end, according to Impact Databank.
Spirits benefited from extra selling days in July against the prior year, but were still positive on a like-for-like basis, as single-digit gains for Tequila and a strong double-digit jump for prepared cocktails offset declining volume across vodka, whiskies, rum, and Cognac.
Among the top-selling spirits brands across the control state market, High Noon continues to churn forward with a 16% volume increase year-to-date, with Surfside soaring by nearly 60% in the first seven months of the year. The rest of the top 10 posted volume declines, although Tito’s and Jose Cuervo both held roughly steady, showing resilient performances. –Juan Banaag
| Top 10 Spirits Brands in the U.S. | ||||||
| Rank | Brand1 | Company | Type | Total 2024 U.S. Volume1 |
Control States Volume Growth 2025 YTD2 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Noon | Spirit of Gallo | Hard Seltzer | 24.9 | 16.0% | |
| 2 | Tito’s | Fifth Generation | Vodka | 12.0 | -0.9% | |
| 3 | Smirnoff | Diageo | Vodka | 8.0 | -4.2% | |
| 4 | Fireball | Sazerac | Flavored Whisky | 7.0 | -4.8% | |
| 5 | Bacardi | Bacardi | Rum | 6.0 | -5.9% | |
| 6 | New Amsterdam | Spirit of Gallo | Vodka | 5.3 | -5.1% | |
| 7 | Jose Cuervo | Proximo Spirits | Tequila | 4.9 | -0.7% | |
| 8 | Jack Daniel’s3 | Brown-Forman | Tennessee Whiskey | 4.8 | -5.3% | |
| 9 | Surfside | Stateside Brands | Pre-mixed Cocktail | 4.7 | 59.3% | |
| 10 | Captain Morgan | Diageo | Rum | 4.4 | -6.3% | |
| Total Top 10 | 81.9 | 0.8% | ||||
| 1 Millions of 9-liter case depletions. 2 Year-to-date July. 3 Excludes flavors and RTDs. Source: NABCA and IMPACT DATABANK © 2025 |
||||||
Tagged : control states, Don Julio, High Noon, Jose Cuervo, Tito's
