Stateways September-October 2017 | Page 33

to be in love with an odorless , colorless , tasteless spirit ,” points out Tom Steffanci , president of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits , whose portfolio includes Redemption Whiskey . “ Now there is a desire for flavor among consumers ,” he says ; an appetite that has fueled the craft beer explosion as well as interest in American whiskey . “ The whiskey trend could last as long as the vodka boom did .”
“ We continue to see plenty of opportunities for the American whiskey category . Retail bourbon / whiskey shelf sets are continuing to grow and consumer acceptance is at an all-time high ,” says Jon Holecz , vice president of marketing for Western Spirits , whose portfolio includes Lexington , Calumet and Bird Dog bourbons . “ We do not see any signs of this slowing down for a number of years .”
“ While some folks are predicting a slowdown in the category ’ s velocity in the coming years , American whiskey is working from such a large
LEADING BRANDS OF STRAIGHT WHISKEY , 2014-2016
( 000 9-Liter Cases )
15 / 16
Brand
Supplier
2014
2015
2016
% Chg
Jack Daniel ’ s
Brown-Forman Beverages
4,887
5,058
5,175
2.3 %
Jim Beam Family
Beam Suntory
4,192
4,318
4,560
5.6 %
Evan Williams
Heaven Hill Brands
1,865
2,144
2,294
7.0 %
Maker ’ s Mark ( includes 46 )
Beam Suntory
1,337
1,428
1,502
5.2 %
Bulleit Bourbon
Diageo
635
810
1,050
29.6 %
Wild Turkey
Campari America
590
610
636
4.3 %
Early Times
Brown-Forman Beverages
531
519
516
-0.6%
Ten High
Sazerac
450
458
465
1.5 %
Woodford Reserve
Brown-Forman Beverages
276
341
401
17.6 %
Knob Creek
Beam Suntory
290
358
380
6.1 %
Old Crow
Beam Suntory
467
385
363
-5.7%
Gentleman Jack
Brown-Forman Beverages
312
349
361
3.4 %
Ancient Age / AAA
Sazerac
355
350
353
0.9 %
Kentucky Gentleman
Sazerac
270
271
278
2.6 %
Heaven Hill Bourbon
Heaven Hill Brands
266
265
270
1.9 %
Jim Beam Small Batch Brands
Beam Suntory
130
149
223
49.7 %
Ezra Brooks
Luxco
186
191
200
4.7 %
Bird Dog
Western Spirits
115
153
190
24.2 %
Buffalo Trace
Sazerac
123
140
170
21.4 %
Kentucky Tavern
Sazerac
170
164
170
3.7 %
George Dickel
Diageo
162
161
168
4.3 %
Old Forester
Brown-Forman Beverages
109
134
157
17.2 %
Old Weller
Sazerac
73
100
105
5.0 %
Rebel Yell
Luxco
54
65
102
56.9 %
Old Charter
Sazerac
112
100
101
1.0 %
Benchmark
Sazerac
85
87
92
5.7 %
Total Leading Brands
18,041
19,108
20,282
6.1 %
Others
719
682
728
6.7 %
Total Straight Whiskey
18,760
19,790
21,010
6.2 %
Source : The Beverage Information & Insight Group ’ s Liquor Handbook 2017 . For more information , visit www . BevInfoStore . com .
StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2017 33