Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

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

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×