Spirits sales in the US last year topped those for beer for the first time, according to data released this week.
At its latest annual economic briefing, trade association the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States reported yesterday that sales to suppliers of spirits in 2022 reached US$37.58bn, a year-on-year lift of 5.1%. The performance overshadowed beer’s sales, which came in at $37.46bn.
The organisation put spirits market share for alcohol in the US last year at 42.1%, with beer at 41.9% and wine at 16%.
The briefing, which can be viewed here, also noted that the premiumisation trend had slowed slightly, as spirits' volume growth [+4.8%] was only just behind the 5.1% rise by value. The American whiskey and Tequila segments were credited with being the main drivers at the higher end of the value ladder.
The standout segments for growth last year were spirits-based RTDs and Tequila & mezcal. The former, as would be expected was up faster in volume terms than in value, while Tequila & mezcal, as noted above, found its more expensive expressions gaining in popularity. Indeed, all segments except RTDs exhibited healthier value showings than volumes.
The double-digit slides in both value and volumes for Brandy & Cognac echo Rémy Cointreau’s comments last month in its fiscal Q3 results announcement, where a “very strong ... decline” for the Rémy Martin Cognac owner in the US was linked to a “normalisation of Cognac consumption”.
Why Tequila is dominating spirits growth in US on-premise – Market Intel
