Tequila, Irish Whiskey, Premixed Cocktails Drive Spirits’ Control State Growth
January 5, 2022Spirits volumes in control states rose by a solid 4% in the month of November to bring year-to-date growth down slightly to a cumulative 4.6%, according to NABCA. That’s stronger than the 3.7% increase in all of 2019—before the pandemic—while control states’ 7.5% surge in 2020 was aided by a pandemic-driven boom in the off-premise. Impact Databank estimates that the total U.S. spirits market increased 2% to 260 million cases in calendar 2021, up from 218 million cases in 2015.
The fastest-growing major segments by volume in control states through the first 11 months last year were pre-packaged cocktails (+39.4%), Tequila (+23.3%), Irish whiskey (+15.2%) and cordials/liqueurs (+12.2%). Major spirits categories to register year-to-date declines include domestic gin (-5.4%), Cognac (-4.6%), domestic brandy (-2.7%) and blended Scotch whisky (-0.5%).
E.&J. Gallo was the fastest-growing spirits marketer among the 10 largest in control states with a 15.4% gain year-to-date, largely due to the continued popularity of High Noon Sun Sips seltzer and New Amsterdam Pink Whitney vodka. But among the top 25 marketers, the fastest growth was posted by Mast-Jagermeister US (+27%), propelled by its distribution of Teremana Tequila. In only its second year on the market, Teremana surpassed 600,000 9-liter cases in the U.S. in 2021, according to Impact Databank. Amid the overall boom in Tequila, Diageo-owned Casamigos also hit a key milestone last year, estimated to have crossed the 1-million-case mark in the U.S.
Only three of the 18 control markets declined in November, while three posted double-digit gains, according to NABCA. Year-to-date, only Michigan (-1.1%) and Vermont (-0.6%) registered losses, while Pennsylvania surged 22% on a relatively easy comp, after temporarily shutting down all its retail outlets in 2020 during the initial Covid outbreak.
Michigan is the nation’s biggest control state and the sixth-largest spirits-consuming state overall, with Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Ohio also ranking among the top 10. Control states comprise around 23% of total spirits volume in the U.S., according to Impact Databank.—Juan Banaag
| U.S.—Top 10 Spirits Marketers in Control States Year-to-Date Through November (millions of cases) |
||||
| Rank | Company | 2020 | 2021 | Percent Change1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sazerac Co. | 8.75 | 9.14 | 4.5% |
| 2 | Diageo North America | 7.27 | 7.76 | 6.8% |
| 3 | Beam Suntory | 4.80 | 4.91 | 2.3% |
| 4 | Heaven Hill Brands | 4.36 | 4.13 | -5.3% |
| 5 | Bacardi USA | 2.88 | 3.09 | 7.1% |
| 6 | Pernod Ricard USA | 2.93 | 3.02 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Fifth Generation | 2.30 | 2.60 | 12.9% |
| 8 | Proximo Spirits | 2.03 | 2.28 | 7.5% |
| 9 | E.&J. Distillers3 | 1.84 | 2.12 | 15.4% |
| 10 | Brown-Forman | 1.82 | 1.89 | 3.4% |
| Total Top 104 | 39.03 | 40.89 | 4.8% | |
| 1 Based on unrounded data 2 Includes 375 Park Ave and Gemini 3 Includes North Wales 4 Addition of columns many not agree due to roundingSource: NABCA and IMPACT DATABANK © 2022 |
||||
Tagged : Casamigos, High Noon, NABCA, New Amsterdam Pink Whitney, Teremana
