TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Covid-19 lockdowns spur shift to high-end liquor

Covid-19 lockdowns spur shift to high-end liquor

U.S. sales of spirits such as tequila and whiskey have grown at the fastest pace in decades as more Americans drink at home

Americans are splashing out on pricier whiskey, tequila and other spirits during the pandemic, helping distillers post their strongest sales in four decades despite widespread bar closures.

People who can’t spend on concerts, travel and watching live sports are splurging instead on high-end spirits to drink at home, say alcohol executives. That drove U.S. distillers’ revenue up 7.7% to $31.2 billion last year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council—or DISCUS—a trade body. It said the figures marked the fastest growth and highest sales for at least 40 years.

“Consumers’ behavior has shifted as a result, in part, of certain things they’re unable to do or not do to the same degree,” said Kathryn Mikells, finance chief of Johnnie Walker maker Diageo PLC. “They’re spending more money on food and beverage. They’re interested in treating themselves.”

Spirits costing above $40 per 750 milliliters accounted for 40% of the U.S. spirits industry’s growth last year, compared with 34% in 2019, according to DISCUS. High-end liquors are among the most profitable spirits for alcohol makers.

The trend toward premium products is reflected across the wider consumer-goods industry as many Americans use their disposable income differently. Pricier household cleaners, candles, spaghetti and paper towels have sold strongly, according to research firm IRI. Procter & Gamble Co. recently said its quarterly sales were helped by pricey dish detergent and a $300 electric toothbrush. Retailers like Neiman Marcus Group Inc., Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s Inc. have flagged a similar jump in spending on things like high-end handbags and jewelry.

Liquor giant Diageo on Thursday reported a big jump in U.S. spirit sales for the second half of 2020, driven by higher-end booze. Its tequila brands Don Julio and George Clooney -founded Casamigos—both of which sell for about $50 a 750 milliliter bottle—grew North America sales by 55% and 137%, respectively.

Tequila has benefited from the shift to at-home drinking as Americans increasingly drink the spirit in more ways, including on the rocks, with soda and in cocktails beyond margaritas, Ms. Mikells said.

Unlike in Europe and other parts of the world, Americans have long drunk more at home. Even before the pandemic, four out of every five alcoholic drinks in the U.S. were bought in liquor stores, supermarkets and other “off premise” channels, rather than in bars and restaurants. That trend has accelerated.

“Things that were really firing before Covid have picked up really strongly, and tequila has benefited from that,” Ms. Mikells said.

Spirits volumes in nine-liter cases—a standard industry measure—climbed 5.3% last year, up from growth of 3.3% in 2019, according to DISCUS. Total beverage alcohol sales by volume grew 3%, indicating Americans bought more booze overall last year.

American whiskey sales rose 8.2%, cognac grew 21% and tequila and mezcal combined jumped 17%, according to the DISCUS figures, which reflect overall industry numbers.

Sales of ready-to-drink cocktails surged 39%, which executives said was driven by at-home entertaining, new product launches and a desire for convenience.

However, a continuing dispute with Europe that has seen the U.S. slap a 25% tariff on imports of single malt scotch took the shine off the spirit, with revenue dropping 2.1%.

Through the pandemic, the spirits industry accelerated its previous share gains over beer and wine. While sales of sparkling wines have done well, still wine—a popular buy at restaurants—has declined, industry tracker IWSR said. Beer also has suffered partly because of a shortage of aluminum cans, an interruption to brewing in Mexico and out-of-stock issues in addition to the closure of bars, it added.

“The gap has gotten wider in spirits’ favor,” Lawson Whiting, chief executive of Jack Daniels owner Brown-Forman Corp. , said in December.

Like Diageo, Brown-Forman said it has seen pricier products under its Woodford Reserve and Old Forester bourbon brands grow strongly.

“This has been unlike any other recession that we’ve experienced,” Mr. Whiting said. “In the U.S., ultra- and superpremium spirits are gaining share at faster rates than in the pre-Covid time periods.”

Consumers stuck at home are also buoying e-commerce alcohol sales. Online alcohol retailer Drizly in January said its annual sales grew 350% from a year earlier.

Diageo, which lists a larger percentage of pricey brands online than in stores, is marketing its spirits online as indulgent treats and gifts. The company has invested in direct-to-consumer sales through its sites for Haig Club and Malts.com and said it has also increased the availability and visibility of its brands for sale online.

Distillers have benefited from law changes in many states allowing restaurants and bars to, for the first time, offer cocktails for home delivery or click-and-collect. Ohio and Iowa last year both moved to make their cocktails-to-go measures permanent. DISCUS, which has joined forces with restaurant trade associations, is lobbying for others to do the same.

“We believe if some of these are made permanent, they can really be part of the economic recovery to help restaurants, bars, taverns and craft distilleries,” said DISCUS CEO Chris Swonger.

Whether the pricey booze trend outlasts the pandemic remains to be seen. As venues reopen, executives expect people to socialize less at home and shift their disposable income. The large volume of spirits currently sitting in pantries could dampen sales in the months to come.

Still, Pernod Ricard SA’s North America head Ann Mukherjee says the Chivas Regal whiskey owner is betting that interest in making high-end cocktails or sipping a fine cognac at the end of a night will stick.

“Consumer palates have opened up, and many have figured out how to make cocktails at home,” she said, pointing to recent strong demand for Pernod’s coffee liqueur, Kahlua, as a cocktail ingredient. “The bar for bars has become a lot higher.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×