After many years of growth before, during and after the Covid−19 pandemic, the beverage alcohol market decidedly swung the other direction, beginning around 2023. Sales have contracted from Covid boom times, as health-conscious consumers drink less, and spend carefully in an uncertain economic era defined by rising costs.

Growth has slowed overall, but not for all brands. Companies that saw success in the past year did so through a number of strategies, including premiumization, nostalgia, flavors, savvy use of social media and event marketing, as well as tapping into a number of modern consumer trends.

The ready-to-drink category continues to perform well. RTDs use various bases, including spirits, wine and malt. Thus, we’ ve once again broken out Ready-to-Drink as its own category separate from wine and spirits this year. For the purposes of the Growth Brands, an RTD must be less than 15 % ABV, contain wine or spirits as its alcohol base and is consumable as sold.

We congratulate all this year’ s winners, and will recognize them during a reception at the 2026 Beverage Week event in Minneapolis this June. For more information about how to attend the event or sponsor the festivities, visit bevweek. epgacceleration. com / 2026 / home

SUPPLIERS OF THE YEAR AND HALL OF FAME

The Suppliers of the Year award is given annually to the companies whose Growth Brands winners showed the most growth, as determined by the Beverage Information Group’ s research team.

The 2026 Spirits Supplier of the Year is Bacardi, which has shown impressive resiliency during a difficult time for alcohol businesses everywhere. Likewise for our 2026 Wine Supplier of the Year, who is Trinchero Family Estates.

Congrats to both! Keep an eye out for the full profiles of all honorees in our fall 2025 issue.

The Beverage Information Group determined this year’ s winners using the following criteria, based on brands’ projected case sales for the 2025 calendar year.

• Rising Stars are less than five years old and have grown each year of their existence, reaching at least 20,000 9-liter cases in 2025.

• Fast Track Brands are at least five years old and have exceeded 100,000 9-liter cases sold in 2025, averaging double-digit growth over the past three years.

• Established Growth Brands are top sellers in their category, at least five years old and moving a minimum of 250,000 9-liter cases in 2025. They have also shown growth in sales over each of the past three years.

• Resilient Brands are at least five years old, with growth of at least 3 % and case sales of at least 40,000 9-liter cases.

• Comeback Brands are previous winners that have rebounded in sales to at least their previous level, following a recent decline.

For more information about the Growth Brands Awards and other industry data / analysis that’ s available from the Beverage Information Group, including the 2026 Industry Overview handbook, visit EPGSpecialtyInformation. com or contact analyst Marina Velez at mvelez @ epgspecialtyinformation. com.

FASTEST-GROWING GROWTH BRANDS *( 000 9-Liter cases)

SPIRITS Don Julio Diageo North America 2,858 3,151 10.2 % Lunazul Tequila Heaven Hill Brands 1,743 2,258 29.5 % Espolon Tequila Campari America USA 1,578 1,667 5.6 % Don Q Spiced Rum Serrallés USA 1,168 1,613 38.1 % Woodford Reserve Brown-Forman Corporation 1,219 1,228 0.8 % Teremana Tequila Mast-Jägermeister US 1,110 1,200 8.1 % House of Cazadores Bacardi USA 924 984 6.5 % Aperol Campari America USA 604 633 4.8 % Mi Campo Constellation Brands 213 323 51.6 % Gran Centenario Proximo Spirits 270 285 5.6 % St. Germain Bacardi USA 179 257 43.6 % Tequila Ocho Heaven Hill Brands 105 174 65.7 % Tres Agaves Tequila Trinchero Family Estates 82 106 29.3 %

WINE Avaline Avaline 214 310 44.9 % Decoy Limited Duckhorn Wines 194 226 16.5 % Banshee Foley Family Wines 163 173 6.1 % Benvolio Jackson Family Wines 133 146 9.8 %

Giesen 0 % Non-Alc Opici Wines & Spirits 118 131 11.0 % Cote Mas Palm Bay International 72 102 41.7 %

( p) Preliminary.(++%) Greater than 100 %. * Note: All figures are early preliminary BIG estimates of US volume consumption, subject to revision. www. beveragewholesaler. com Summer 2026 • Bevearge Wholesaler 5