Woes at home balanced by health abroad for US spirits - data

Exports rise 7.8% in 2023 to US$2.24bn
Twelve-month sales of US spirits domestically rose by only 0.2% to $37.7bn
American whiskey shipments up 9% last year, US vodka jumps 31% while brandy “more than doubled”

A week after reporting flat domestic sales for US spirits, the Distilled Spirits Council of the US has posted a near-8% year-on-year rise for the industry’s exports in 2023. The performance builds on the year prior, when shipments broke the US$2bn barrier for the first time following three years that were ravaged by a combination of the pandemic and increased tariffs implemented by the European Union and the UK.

American whiskey continues to dominate with 63% share of total spirits abroad: The category, which includes bourbon as well as rye whiskey and American single malt, was up 9% “to reach a record $1.4bn”. Other notable performances came from vodka, up 31% to $160m, and brandy, which grew its share from 0.9% in 2022 to 2%.

“2023 was a banner year for American spirits exports,” said Discus. “The tariffs imposed … between the US, EU and UK have since been suspended or removed, presenting US. spirits producers with an opportunity to recapture lost market share in some of the US’s largest export markets.”

In related commentary, the trade association also credited trade agreements that have “eliminated import tariffs and opened many foreign markets for distilled spirits”. Notable exceptions are India, with a 150% tariff on spirits imports, Vietnam (45% tariff) and Brazil (20% on imported spirits “except bulk whiskey, which is 12% tariff”). Combined, the the markets accounted for 3% of spirits imports from the US in 2022.