American Whiskies Drive U.S. Spirits Exports To New Heights In 2022

Spirits exports from the United States surged forward in 2022, cracking $2 billion in value on a 30% jump, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. The $2 billion milestone shows a nearly 400% increase in spirits exports over the last two decades—back in 2002, the U.S. only exported $551 million in spirits. The recent surge is largely attributable to the suspension of tariffs that kneecapped U.S. spirits exports between 2018 and 2021. Beyond the tariffs, the easing of pandemic restrictions has also benefited the export segment.

“While U.S. spirits exports tumbled between 2018 and 2021, due largely to retaliatory tariffs on American spirits imposed by the E.U. and U.K., the latest export data show that U.S. exports have rebounded to a record high following the suspension of the tariffs,” said Rob Maron, DISCUS vice president of international trade.

Among spirits exports, American whiskies lead the way by a large margin, making up nearly 62% of the total at $1.3 billion, while accounting for 23% of exports by volume. No other category comes close, with American cordial exports at $149 million, vodka at $123 million, rum at $109 million, and gin and brandies well below $100 million each. The largest export category after American whiskies is DISCUS’ catchall “other” category at $327 million. While non-whiskey exports are a fraction of the size of American whiskies in the export market, those categories continue to grow by double-digit rates with vodka and cordials leading the way, up 57% and 44% respectively last year.

The largest export market for U.S. spirits is the E.U., where 2022 sales reached $703 million, up 25% over 2021. U.S. spirits also do particularly well in Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Japan. The leading American whiskey export markets are largely the same, with the E.U. leading the way, followed by Australia, the U.K., Japan, and Canada.

Tennessee and Kentucky are the two largest exporting states, driven by American whiskies, including Tennessee’s Jack Daniel’s (the largest American whiskey export overall) and Kentucky’s booming Bourbon industry. Those two states alone account for $1.325 billion in exports last year. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey volume outside the U.S. amounted to 9.3 million 9-liter cases in 2022 (excluding flavors, RTDs and other line extensions), according to Impact Databank.—Shane English

Tagged : American whiskey, DISCUS, Jack Daniel's, spirits exports

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