America loves its alcohol, but which hard liquor does it love most of all?
We went straight to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, and parsed through their industry data for 2023.
Here are the top 10 best-selling liquors in the U.S., plus a bonus at the end…
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Tanqueray, Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire
Popular Cocktails: Gin and Tonic, Martini, Negroni
Revenue generated for distillers: $1 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Jameson, Bushmills, Redbreast
Popular Cocktails: Irish Coffee, Jameson & Ginger, Emerald
Revenue generated for distillers: $1.1 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Crown Royal, Canadian Club, Black Velvet
Popular Cocktails: Whisky Sour, Maple Old Fashioned, Manhattan (Canadian Style)
Revenue generated for distillers: $2.3 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Captain Morgan, Bacardi, Gosling’s
Popular Cocktails: Daiquiri, Mojito, Dark ‘n’ Stormy
Revenue generated for distillers: $2.4 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Hennessy, Remy Martin, Courvoisier
Popular Cocktails: Sidecar, Vieux Carre, Jack Rose
Revenue generated for distillers: $2.5 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Glenfiddich, The Macallan, Glenlivet
Popular Cocktails: Rob Roy, Rusty Nail, Hot Toddy
Revenue generated for distillers: $2.6 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, Grand Marnier
Popular Cocktails: Bailey’s Irish Coffee, White Russian, Grand Margarita
Revenue generated for distillers: $2.9 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Buffalo Trace, Maker’s Mark
Popular Cocktails: Old Fashioned, Mint Julep, Manhattan
Revenue generated for distillers: $5.3 billion
Note: American Whiskey includes bourbon since bourbon is a subset of whiskey.
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Patron, Jose Cuervo, Casamigos
Popular Cocktails: Margarita, Tequila Sunrise, Paloma
Revenue generated for distillers: $6.5 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: Grey Goose, Tito’s, Absolut
Popular Cocktails: Vodka Martini, Vodka Soda, Cosmopolitan
Revenue generated for distillers: $7.2 billion
Shutterstock
Famous Brands: High Noon (Vodka), Topo Chico Hard Seltzer (Tequila), Skinnygirl Cocktails (Vodka, Tequila)
Popular Cocktails: Vodka Soda, Tequila Seltzers, Margaritas
Revenue generated for distillers: $2.8 billion
If premixed cocktails were its own category, it would rank fifth. But we didn’t that would be fair since they can include all kinds of liquor from other categories.
Shutterstock
Vodka looks to be #1 followed by tequila/mezcal. American whiskey (which includes bourbon) came in third, but whiskey gets dinged a bit because of its popularity.
Whiskey is so popular that it gets cut into a bunch of categories.
If we blend (get it?) American whiskey, Scotch, Canadian whisky, and Irish whiskey, we’d get over $11 billion vs vodka’s $7.2 billion.
So America’s favorite liquor is either vodka or whiskey depending on how you want to gerrymander the results!
Shutterstock
If you do the same analysis by state, you’ll find that a strong plurality of states prefer whiskey, with vodka #2 and a handful of (mostly very large) states, including California and Texas, preferring tequila.
This broadly matches what we’ve seen at the national level.
Shutterstock
What do YOU think? Does this all pass the smell test?
What result surprised you most? Let us know in the comments!
Shutterstock
Leave a Comment