As the final numbers roll in from August, the statistics show the summer ended on a high note for distilled spirits in the control markets. The numbers were higher than the rest of the three months of summer. In fact, growth was in the double digits according to NABCA, the association overseeing the eighteen control state for alcoholic beverages in the United States.
Dollar sales increased nearly 11% (10.9% to be exact) with volumes at almost 9% (8.6%) compared to the three month summer period at 5.8% and 4.5% for dollar sales and volumes, respectively. The suppliers who had the largest gains included Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands, Diageo, and Beam Suntory, however, Brown-Forman was the sole supplier to hit double digit sales. Fire and Jack Daniel’s drove the growth. Most notably, Constellation Brands’ Casa Noble saw an 86.8% increase in sales.
In terms of category trends, domestic and Irish whiskeys showed strong performances with 12.5% dollar growth. Vodka also saw double digit growth at just over 11%. As we’ve seen in other months, tequila sales stayed high at 16% increase in dollar sales and volume at almost 15%.
Source: The Cowen Insight