AMERICAN VODKA
PHOTO CREDIT : © ISTOCK . COM / PORTRA tradition or process .” Key to Skyy Vodka ’ s DNA , she adds , is that it was founded in San Francisco by a first-generation American who also happened to be an inventor .
DOMESTIC VS . IMPORT Do American vodka drinkers understand the differences between domestic and import brands ? And , if so , do they care ? The answer is yes , no and maybe .
“ Consumers care , but not like they would with bourbon or tequila ,” says Nathan Ruiz at Sodie ’ s Wine & Spirits in Fort Smith , Arkansas . The retailer adds that , “ The most-asked questions about vodkas are if the product is local , if it is low in calories and if it is gluten-free .”
“ Some , but not all , American consumers differentiate between domestic and imported vodkas ,” says Nakhil Shah , Smirnoff ’ s marketing director . Smirnoff is made and bottled in the American heartland , in Plainfield , Illinois . It ’ s distilled from corn , and the liquid is then filtered 10 times through charcoal . “ In the U . S ., vodka is the most widely consumed spirit and therefore consumers have a broad understanding of the category , as well as access to many imported and domestic options ,” he adds .
“ The lines between domestic and imported vodkas have blurred ,” says Sachs at E .& J . “ There has been an extraordinary shift of Americans purchasing domestic vodkas over the past decade . Americans recognize that they can find quality domestic vodkas that can compete with imported vodkas across many price points .” New Amsterdam Vodka is five times distilled and three times fil-
LEADING BRANDS OF AMERICAN VODKA , 2016-2017
( 000 9-Liter Cases ) |
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’ 16 /’ 17 |
BRAND |
SUPPLIER |
2016 |
2017P |
% CHG |
Smirnoff |
Diageo |
9,402 |
9,249 |
-1.6% |
Tito ’ s Handmade Vodka |
Fifth Generation |
4,169 |
5,802 |
39.2 % |
New Amsterdam |
E & J Gallo |
5,092 |
5,353 |
5.1 % |
Burnett ’ s Vodka |
Heaven Hill Brands |
2,902 |
2,870 |
-1.1% |
Skyy |
Campari America USA |
2,800 |
2,621 |
-6.4% |
Barton Vodka |
Sazerac |
2,125 |
2,087 |
-1.8% |
Skol Vodka |
Sazerac |
1,910 |
1,813 |
-5.1% |
McCormick Vodka |
McCormick Distilling |
1,704 |
1,671 |
-1.9% |
Fleischmann ’ s Royal Vodka |
Sazerac |
1,460 |
1,394 |
-4.5% |
Seagram ’ s Vodka |
Infinium Spirits |
1,353 |
1,390 |
2.7 % |
Platinum 7X |
Sazerac |
1,095 |
1,251 |
14.2 % |
UV Vodka |
Phillips Distilling |
1,190 |
1,178 |
-1.0% |
Deep Eddy |
Heaven Hill Brands |
1,000 |
1,150 |
15.0 % |
Aristocrat Vodka |
Heaven Hill Brands |
1,006 |
950 |
-5.6% |
Total Leading Brands |
37,208 |
38,779 |
4.2 % |
Others |
11,467 |
11,313 |
-1.3% |
Total American Vodka |
48,675 |
50,092 |
2.9 % |
Total Vodka |
75,205 |
75,847 |
0.9 % |
Source : Beverage Information & Insight Group ’ s 2018 Handbook Advance . For more data and insights , visit BevInfoStore . com . |
28 StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2018