Tennessee Whiskey Category Accelerates, Led By Jack Daniel’s
August 4, 2022After five consecutive years of modest growth, Tennessee whiskies advanced a solid 6% in 2021 to nearly 8.5 million 9-liter cases in the U.S.—outperforming their much larger Bourbon cousins for the first time since 2014—according to Impact Databank. Brown-Forman dominates the category and accounted for roughly 85% market share last year (excluding RTDs), in spite of a rare decline from its higher-priced Gentleman Jack label.
Brown-Forman extended the Jack Daniel’s line last year with its first 10-year-old age-stated Tennessee whiskey in more than 100 years. Distilled to 97 proof and retailing at $70 a 750-ml., Jack Daniel’s 10-year-old ranked fourth among Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 Whiskies of 2021. In addition to a strong performance from its Single Barrel label, Jack Daniel’s flavored offerings combined for nearly 1.4 million cases last year, according to Impact Databank. And in only their second year on the market, Jack Daniel’s spirits-based RTDs (7% abv) soared 94% to 260,000 cases.
“Our flagship Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey brand fueled the company’s performance having a remarkable year,” Brown-Forman president and CEO Lawson Whiting recently told SND. “The previous year was tougher for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. It’s one of the largest on-premise brands in the world and it was heavily impacted by the on-premise restrictions. We believe the brand was impacted by disruptions that were circumstantial and temporary and largely related to Covid. This past year the brand added approximately 1.5 million nine-liter cases and has now grown to more than 14 million cases (globally).”
Among other Tennessee players, Gatlinburg-based Ole Smoky is known for its moonshine, but has also been active in aged whiskies with a Tennessee blended whiskey, a Tennessee straight Bourbon, and an array of flavored offerings. The Ole Smoky line surpassed a million cases for the first time last year, according to Impact Databank.
Tennessee’s other high-profile whiskies include Diageo’s George Dickel as well as Nearest Green Distillery’s Uncle Nearest brand, which launched just five years ago and is within striking distance of the 100,000-case mark for 2022. Whisky Advocate recently took an in-depth look at the rising Tennessee whiskey segment.—Juan Banaag
| Leading Tennessee Whiskey Brands in the U.S. (thousands of 9-liter cases) |
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| Brand | Company | 2020 | 2021 | Percent Change1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Daniel’s2 | Brown-Forman | 5,212 | 5,437 | 4.3% |
| Ole Smoky | Ole Smoky Distillery | 672 | 1,009 | 50.3% |
| Gentleman Jack | Brown-Forman | 489 | 458 | -6.3% |
| George Dickel | Cascade Hollow (Diageo) | 175 | 184 | 5.0% |
| Uncle Nearest | Nearest Green Distillery | 60 | 90 | 49.5% |
| Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel |
Brown-Forman | 59 | 87 | 47.5% |
| Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye |
Brown-Forman | 42 | 46 | 9.5% |
| Total Leading Brands | 6,709 | 7,312 | 9.0% | |
| 1 Based on unrounded data 2 Excludes flavors and RTDs Source: IMPACT DATABANK © 2022 |
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Tagged : George Dickel, Jack Daniel's, Ole Smoky, Uncle Nearest
