Whiskey Tops Spirits Share and Trend; Tequila Grows Expo

The Whiskey category is the bestselling spirits category in the US On Premise. Meanwhile, Tequila experiences the biggest growth in share against other top mega-categories in the channel, and Vodka remains a top contender, with unflavored types driving growth.

Whiskey on top

Whiskey is the bestselling spirits category in the U.S. On-Premise, increasing steadily in both share and trend (+0.1pp), according to CGA by NIQ's on premise measurement (OPM) research. Tequila however has seen exponential growth in the market (+0.8pp), overtaking Whiskey and Vodka’s (-0.3pp) share gain in the same period and closing the gap against Vodka.

Tequila in growth and unflavored Vodka remains in demand

Within the market, all types of Tequila are in growth, attributing to the growing popularity of the category. Mezcal Tequila type has experienced the most notable growth (+26.6%), with Reposado (+16.0%) and While/Silver (+7.3%) types also demonstrating significant performance.

Exploring the Vodka sub-category, unflavored Vodka remains the most demanded Vodka type, with +2.1% growth, compared to more negatively performing flavoured Vodka (-3.3%), which withholds the category from further growth.

Battle of the States

Despite Tequila’s recent advances in growth and share in the On Premise, Vodka still holds favor among most states. Across key East-coast states notably, Vodka’s volume share tops that of Tequila including NY (6.6%), PA (3.8%), IL (4.6%). However, Tequila holds strong growth and outsold Vodka in several states including CO (3.2%), CA (10.4%), and LA (1.9%).

Matthew Compton, Regional Director – North America, said: “There are significant differences in the share growth across these key categories and notable performance differences within certain states across the U.S." ”