- US sales of spirits in 12 months of 2024 slip 1.1%
- Volumes rise, also by 1.1%
- ‘Super-premium’ sales slide again, ‘value’ spirits on the rise
The higher-priced end of the spirits category has registered a second consecutive year of declining sales in the US, according to figures released this week, with the beer category narrowing the gap for alcohol market share.
In its annual economic briefing on the state of spirits, trade association the Distilled Spirits Council of the US said this week that the category’s sales in 2024 were down 1.1% on the year prior. Conversely, spirits volumes were up by the same percentage, while ‘super-premium’ spirits fell back in value terms by 5.6%. Sales of ‘value’ spirits, however, increased in the 12-month period by 3.5%.
In a subsequent presentation, the organisation flagged that consumer spending on services in the country “far outpaces spending on non-durables”, including products such as alcohol.
A breakdown of the performance by category indicated marked growth in both value and volumes for spirits-based RTDs. The 17% showing for both metrics was markedly ahead of second-placed tequila & mezcal, which at +3% for value slowed on 2023’s +7.9%.
Elsewhere, scotch whisky – both the blended and single malt segments – accelerated their downwards trends from a year earlier, declining by 15% and 14% respectively. Positive performances were recorded by Irish whiskey – which tumbled by 19.4% in 2023 – and Canadian whisky, both at +2%.
Of greater concern was the showing for brandy & cognac, which was down by double digits once again.
Looking more broadly at the landscape for alcohol in the country, Discus said that spirits remained at 42.2% share last year. Beer, meanwhile, inched up 0.2% to 42% at the expense of wine sales, which accounted for 15.8%.
“While the spirits industry has proven to be resilient during tough times, it is certainly not immune to disruptive economic forces and marketplace challenges,” said CEO Chris Swonger. “That was definitely the case in 2024.
“Consumers were contending with some of the highest prices and interest rates in decades, which put a strain on their wallets and forced many to reduce spending on little luxuries like distilled spirits.”
The annual economic briefing for 2024 can be viewed here.
