THE 2021 SPIRITS GROWTH BRANDS AWARDS

By Kyle Swartz

THE 2021 SPIRITS GROWTH BRANDS AWARDS from Cheers magazine recognizes the fastest-growing and top-selling spirits brands from the past year . These products dominated consumer interest , and tapped into leading beverage alcohol trends .

As always , our lists include the most innovative new brands , emerging stars , comeback stories and tried-and-true staples . Altogether , these superstar spirits paint a picture of what defined the beverage alcohol category in the last year .

SPIRITS FAST TRACK BRANDS

( 000 9-Liter cases )				’ 19 /’ 20
BRAND	SUPPLIER	2019	2020P	% CHG
Tito ' s Handmade Vodka	Fifth Generation	8,808	10,780	22.4 %
Platinum 7X	Sazerac	1,598	1,834	14.8 %
Don Julio	Diageo	920	1,090	18.5 %
Woodford Reserve	Brown-Forman Corporation	684	829	21.2 %
Espolon Tequila	Campari America USA	510	768	50.6 %
Casamigos Tequila	Diageo	440	560	27.3 %
D ' Usse	Bacardi USA	372	548	47.3 %
Ole Smoky Moonshine	Ole Smoky Distillery	306	448	46.4 %
Buzzballz Chillers	BuzzBallz LLC	233	414	77.7 %
Basil Hayden ' s	Beam Suntory	339	391	15.3 %
Olmeca Altos	Pernod Ricard USA	323	364	12.7 %
Cointreau	Remy Cointreau USA	303	350	15.5 %
Milagro	William Grant & Sons	293	349	19.1 %
Four Roses	Four Roses Distillery	285	340	19.3 %
Western Son Vodka	Western Son Distillery	231	330	42.9 %
Buzzballz	BuzzBallz LLC	287	325	13.2 %
Bird Dog	Western Spirits Beverage Company	195	260	33.3 %
Herradura	Brown-Forman Corporation	213	259	21.6 %
Elijah Craig Small Batch	Heaven Hill Brands	205	246	20.0 %
Recipe 21 *	ROC House Brands ( form . LiDestri Spirits )	166	201	21.1 %
Blue Chair Bay	Fishbowl Spirits	179	197	10.1 %
Campari	Campari America USA	159	182	14.5 %
Nue Vodka	Southwest Spirits & Wine	144	168	16.7 %
Reyka	William Grant & Sons	149	168	12.8 %
Angel ' s Envy	Bacardi USA / Louisville Distilling Co .	115	150	30.4 %
Larceny	Heaven Hill Brands	128	142	10.9 %
High West	Constellation Brands	115	132	14.8 %
Aperol *	Campari America USA	112	124	10.7 %
Jefferson ' s Bourbon	Pernod Ricard USA	49	122	149.0 %
Monkey Shoulder	William Grant & Sons	80	104	30.0 %
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked	Brown-Forman Corporation	64	100	56.3 %

ADAPTING WITH COVID-19 All great brands must adapt at some point . Many of our winners successfully did so this last year in the face of the sudden Covid-19 crisis .

“ We have adapted many existing programs to stay relevant during Covid-19 ,” says Lisa Hunter , U . S . brand director for Jack Daniel ’ s Tennessee Honey , Established Growth Brand winner . “ For instance , Neighborhood Flavors used to be all about festivals and events , and this year we are switching it up to be a local mural campaign that still celebrates neighborhoods , but in a safe , socially distanced way .”

Elsewhere in the Brown-Forman portfolio , Gentleman Jack also took home an Established Growth Brand award . “ Despite the Covid-19 related challenges of this last year , the brand has seen strong acceleration for a number of reasons ,” says Mary Beth O ’ Mara , senior brand manager , Jack Daniel ' s Craft & Luxury . “ Consumers have turned to purchasing trusted premium brands and making cocktails at home .”

This was a common refrain : winning brands tapping into at-home mixology . As was a move towards

Source : The Beverage Information & Insights Group ( p ) Preliminary * Awarded based on revised pandemic criteria

20 • Summer 2021 www . cheersonline . com

Cheers Summer 2021 | Page 20

THE 2021 SPIRITS GROWTH BRANDS AWARDS