Stateways Fall 2022 | Page 28

11 American Whiskey Trends in 2022

spirits as more consumers collectively discover what we ’ re about ,” Hletko adds . “ We are offering what people want . Whiskey is far from the only category that ’ s hot — I ’ m looking at you , agave — but so far you don ’ t really see that heat in other categories .”

Additionally , with tariffs against American whiskey dropped as the European trade war concludes , U . S . distilleries can have even more avenues for continued growth .

8 ) Diversity and Inclusivity

The whiskey industry — like much of the country — has made great strides in recent years to improve diversity and inclusivity . More work remains , but this category seems ready to shed old , false stereotypes in favor of the realities and benefits of a broader group of participants .

On one hand , this is about justice . This is about offering equal opportunity for all employees and consumers in American whiskey . Opportunity that did not always exist . On the other hand , this is another avenue for growth . “ There ’ s so much diversity growing in the category now ,” says Austin of Dickel . “ We ’ re not just adding same on top of same , but widening the category in a way that I think is going to bring a lot of people into it . So there ’ s still tons of growth ahead for American whiskey .”

This includes leadership growth , as a diverse , new crop of decision-makers like Austin move into prominent roles . For instance : Elizabeth McCall , who in 2018 was named Assistant Master Distiller at Woodford Reserve .

“ It is a joy to have someone like her who wants to come in and contribute her own ideas ,” says Morris of McCall . “ Elizabeth is really passionate about grains . She ’ s interested in the different corns , and initiated our small grains program , working to bring rye back to Kentucky . She has taken off on a whole new avenue that I couldn ’ t do myself . That makes our bandwidth so much broader .”

9 ) Pain from the Glass Shortage

Covid-19 has roiled production and shipping industries worldwide , including American whiskey . Distribution remains disrupted . Perhaps even more threatening is the lingering glass shortage . Obtaining bottles for product is no simple task .

“ The glass shortage is definitely a challenge ,” says Hletko of Few . “ It ’ s one of the things we ’ re going to get over . The marketplace will equalize with time , but there will be short-term pain .”

“ Nobody wants to buy extra glass , but you have to now , and that delays everybody else ,” he adds . “ It ’ s a non-virtuous cycle . It ’ s real , and it ’ s going to affect product availability and pricing .”

Compounding matters , the costs of buying and shipping glass have risen significantly during the pandemic .

“ Suppliers can ’ t eat all those costs ,” Hletko says . “ That stuff does

THE BEVERAGE ALCOHOL MERCHANDISING MAGAZINE FOR CONTROL STATES

28 StateWays | www . stateways . com | Fall 2022