Vodka
LEADING BRANDS OF DOMESTIC VODKA |
BRAND |
SUPPLIER |
2021 |
2022 LY % CHG |
Tito ' s Handmade Vodka Fifth Generation , Inc . |
11,010 |
11,603 |
5.4 % |
Smirnoff |
Diageo North America |
8,845 |
8,690 |
-1.8% |
New Amsterdam Vodka Spirit of Gallo |
5,990 |
5,800 |
-3.2% |
Burnett ' s Vodka |
Heaven Hill Brands |
2,226 |
2,003 |
-10.0% |
Platinum 7X |
Sazerac Company |
1,945 |
1,999 |
2.8 % |
Deep Eddy |
Heaven Hill Brands |
1,844 |
1,953 |
5.9 % |
Barton ' s Vodka |
Sazerac Company |
1,905 |
1,931 |
1.4 % |
Skyy |
Campari America |
2,150 |
1,850 |
-14.0% |
Skol Vodka |
Sazerac Company |
1,588 |
1,680 |
5.8 % |
McCormick Vodka |
McCormick Distilling Company 1,509 |
1,597 |
5.8 % |
Total Top Ten Leading Domestic Vodka Brands |
39,012 |
39,106 |
0.2 % |
Other Domestic Vodka |
16,700 |
16,668 |
-0.2% |
Total Domestic Vodka |
55,712 |
55,774 |
0.1 % |
Total Vodka |
81,097 |
80,562 |
-0.7 |
advantage of these consumer trends .”
White Claw , which helped create the current hard seltzer and RTD trends , recently entered the vodka category with White Claw Premium Vodka and White Claw Vodka + Soda .
“ The RTD space has grown to the largest category within the beer aisles in America , with about 27 % of the market ,” says Andrés Faustinelli , Master Blender , White Claw Vodka . “ It ' s greater than light beer . It represents a fundamental consumer shift over the last 25 years . All predictions are that momentum will continue in the future as consumers look for more flavorful products . We believe this 400M case category [ in sync with IWSR predictions ] will grow in the next five years by another 25 %.”
MAKING MARTINIS The Covid-19 lockdowns spurred a large movement in at-home mixology . Suddenly , everybody built a well-stocked bar into their place of residence . While on-premise reopening has certainly driven consumers back into bars and restaurants , people remain interested in mixing high-quality drinks at home .
And what are they mixing , or ordering when they do go out ? Nostalgia is now the big trend . ( Perhaps we pine for “ simpler ” days , before 2020 arrived with all its subsequent hardships and social upheaval .)
“ We ’ ve really seen a resurgence in the classic cocktails of the 1990 ’ s ,” says Sophie Clerc , Brand Director , Vodka , Moet Hennessy USA , who makes Belvedere Vodka . “ Vodka martinis , opposed to gin-based martinis , are prominent at bars and restaurants again . So are Espresso Martinis , which entered the top 10 list of most ordered cocktails at U . S . bars in 2022 , according to research firm CGA by Nielsen IQ .”
Her last point is important . While classic cocktails tap into our current nostalgic mood , new twists on these drinks have proven extremely popular . Nowhere is this more evident than in the redhot Espresso Martini .
“ Classic cocktails such as the Martini and Cosmopolitan are finding their way back onto menus , and we have seen strong affinity for new stars , such as the Espresso Martini , to further solidify vodka ’ s popularity on premise ,” says Julie Yufe , SVP Vodka & Rum at Diageo , whose portfolio includes Smirnoff and Ketel One . It ’ s a trend noticed by many . “ The Espresso Martini has taken the industry by storm , and the momentum just keeps continuing ,” says Reshma Dhati , Senior Brand Director of Marketing , Absolut . “ Vodka as a category has now fully recovered in the on-premise . When consumers take a night off from being their own bartender , they are ordering trendy vodka drinks like an Absolut Espresso Martini or Cosmopolitan .”
Martinis are having such a moment that they may have displaced a major competitor .
“ Martinis are trending and the cocktail has officially replaced the Moscow Mule as the no . 2 most-popular drink order last year , according to Nielsen IQ ,” says Aleco Azqueta , Grey Goose Vice President of Marketing , North America . “ Emerging from the pandemic and economic uncertainty , we ’ ve seen that people simply
18 Beverage Dynamics • May 2023 www . beveragedynamics . com