Park Street Companies has teamed with the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and the International Wine and Spirits Research group (IWSR) to develop and release the Craft Spirits Data Project for a third year
KEY FINDINGS AND HIGHLIGHTS
- The number of active craft distillers in the U.S. grew by 11.5% over the last year to 2,046 in August 2019.
- The U.S. craft spirits market volume reached nearly 9m cases sold in 2018, growing at an annual rate of 25.5%.
- The market reached $4.8 billion in sales, growing at an annual growth rate of 27.0%.
- The market share of U.S. craft spirits as a share of total U.S. spirits volume and value reached 3.9% in volume and 5.8% in value in 2018, up from 1.5% (volume)/1.8% (value) in 2013 and 3.2% (volume)/4.6% (value) in 2017.
- Exports of U.S. craft spirits dropped to 304,000 cases in 2018, adding 3.3% of additional volume to U.S. craft distillers’ total sales. Exports decreased by nearly 50% versus last year.
- The U.S. craft distilling market is fairly concentrated with nearly 2% of larger producers being responsible for 58.1% of the cases sold. 92.1% of U.S. craft producers are classified as small producers. They are responsible for just 12.9% of the cases sold annually.
- Direct sales at the site of the spirit producer are particularly important for small producers, making up 44% of total sales while out of state business is more important for large producers, accounting for 66% of total business.
- The craft spirits market is expected to ellipse craft beer market share currently at 13.5%.
- Employment in the U.S. craft spirits industry has been on the rise: in 2018 industry employment grew by more than 7,000 to over 25,500. In 2018 investment by the U.S. craft spirits industry increased by over $86 million reaching over $679 million.
- The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, which became effective January 1st, 2018, increased both investments in equipment and staff in the US craft spirits industry.
Click Here to Download the 2019 Craft Spirits Data Project
PROJECT BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY
The Craft Spirits Data Project © 2019 is a proprietary research project whose goal is to provide a solid and reliable fact base for evaluating performance and trends in the U.S. craft spirits industry. The Craft Spirits Data Project, which was first announced and presented in 2016, is the beverage industry’s first-ever comprehensive craft distilling study. The Project quantifies the number, size, and impact of craft spirits producers in the United States.
Together, the ACSA, Park Street, and the IWSR launched the Craft Spirits Data Project in October, 2015. 2019 data collection began in January, and remained ongoing through August, 2019. The Project collected data primarily from spirits producers (DSPs), distributors and retailers.
The program aims to create a deeper understanding of the U.S. craft spirits landscape among three key groups: DSPs, distributors and retailers. The study collected comprehensive data on craft distiller production size and patterns, sources of revenue, and the category’s overall economic impact within the spirits industry. The Project also collected data on craft spirits business size, patterns and outlook on the distributor level and assess craft spirits business size and outlook by premise type at retail.
When estimating the number of producers behind the U.S. craft spirits production, the project team relies on a combination of official data released by regulatory authorities, survey data, other industry data sources both national (e.g., NABCA, ACSA) and regional (e.g., Guilds), as well as interviews and team assessments using the craft distiller definition.