Once a month, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association releases data covering sales of spirits in the Control States of the US.
Here’s a look at the numbers for May.
What at first glance looks to have been a strong month for spirits in the Control States must be caveated by May having had 11 additional sales days compared to the same month a year earlier - Michigan was at +7 days, while Alabama, Mississippi, Montana and North Carolina each had an extra day.
That said, the outliers at both ends of the performance spectrum remain firmly in place: Growth-wise Tequila and spirits-based RTDs continue to lead the way, posting year-on-year value leaps in the month of 22.3% and 33.8%, respectively. Down at the bottom, the combined Brandy & Cognac segment was down almost 11% on -7.7% volumes - this, despite the extra sales time. Cognac on its own tumbled 16.9% in May.
The wider premiumisation trend remains in fine fettle in the markets as all spirits segments delivered stronger value rises compared to volumes.
Elsewhere in NABCA's figures, wine sales dipped by 3.3% in May on a volumes decrease of 4%.
The NABCA data measures spirits sales across 17 US states [and Montgomery County in Maryland] where distribution is state-controlled. This represents around 25% of total sales in the country and covers both the on- and off-premise channels,
The Control states are:
- Alabama
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Maine
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
There are also control municipalities in Alaska, Minnesota and South Dakota.
Can vodka keep tequila off the top spot in North America? – Category Intel
