The Spirit Business has issued their
annual Top 10 American Spirits and Rums made two of the positions. This is a good indicator for the category
this year. The group received 20 million
responses, which were analyzed to determine the popularity score across several
categories including food, media, technology and sports. The results revealed the nation’s favorite
spirits brands, which ranged from vodka to gin to whisky to rum and even
liqueurs.
It’s no secret
that Americans are big fans of their spirits. Last year, the industry experienced
record sales in the country, hitting US$26.2 billion,
according to trade body the Distilled Spirits Council. Sales of both domestic and imported spirits
were up 4% in the year, while joint volumes rose 2.6% to 226m cases.
Spirits now own 36.6% of the
total alcohol beverage market share, marking the eighth consecutive year that
the category has gained market share against beer.
9. Captain Morgan
Diageo-owned
rum brand Captain Morgan was described by fans as “good value for money, good
quality, refreshing, trustworthy and must-have”. The rum brand is most popular with Generation
X (49%) and is more popular among men than women. In the US, the brand recently expanded its
portfolio of shot-inspired spirits with a watermelon
variant and a coconut-flavored
expression. Diageo also tweaked the bottle design of its Captain
Morgan rum in the US to create a “more modern brand visual identity”.
2. Bacardi
