Spirits have finally surpassed beer as America's preferred alcoholic beverage. The category has been on an upward trend for decades and 2022 was the year it finally became number one. The growing popularity of the beverage can be attributed to things like cocktail culture, which has left the bar scene and can be found in the off-premise in ready-to-drink beverages as well as premiumization. The next generation of consumers are drinking less. When they do indulge they're increasingly interested in a more special experience, which is something spirits advertisers have capitalized on.
Industry segmentation
Retail sales of distilled spirits reached over 103 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. The majority of spirits sales occurred
off-premise with about 233.5 million 9 liter cases sold, compared to about 57.3 million 9 liter cases sold
on-premise. Broken down by category, whiskey took the
lead in terms of volume sales of the spirits industry, followed by vodka and tequila, respectively. Although it is spirits in the lower half of the price tier that account for the bulk of
sales volume, the largest
growth in sales value is found in the more premium upper half of the segment. When it comes to the
ready-to-drink segment, consumers overwhelmingly prefer spirits-based beverages.
American consumption
Per capita consumption of spirits in the United States amounted to 2.07 gallons in 2022, the highest rate of consumption in decades. In that year, the states with the highest consumption volume of distilled spirits were
the District of Columbia, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
Consumption of spirits is forecast to grow an additional 17 percent between 2022 and 2025. Gen Z consumers, who are
more sober-curious than previous generations are
reaching for spirits over beer when they do want a drink.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
