After Solid June Performance, Spirits Flat In Control States YTD
After a strong month of June in which volume ran 5% ahead of last year, spirits are in positive territory by volume in control states in the year-to-date, if only by the slimmest of margins at +0.1%. On a rolling 12-month basis volume remains down slightly at -0.5%. Control states account for over 20% of total spirits volume in the U.S., according to Impact Databank. The June numbers were boosted somewhat by additional selling days compared with the same month a year ago.
Among the 10 largest spirits suppliers in the U.S., the fastest-growing by far is Philadelphia-based Stateside Brands (+15% year-to-date), owing to the continued rise of its Surfside RTD label, which jumped 46% in control states in the first half. Stateside supplanted Brown-Forman (-1.2% in control states year-to-date) last year as the 10th-largest spirits supplier in the U.S. Brown-Forman is also projected to be overtaken by Anheuser-Busch for the 11th position by year-end.
That’s due to the continued surge of A-B’s Cutwater and Nutrl RTD labels, with Cutwater rocketing more than 400% by volume in control markets over the first six months of the year. Other spirits RTD brands quickly climbing the leaderboard of the spirits industry overall include Carbliss from SNFood & Beverage and Sun Cruiser from Boston Beer. Excluding RTD and ready-to-serve brands, total spirits would have been down 2.3% in control markets in the past six months.
Gallo’s High Noon remains the number-one spirits brand by volume in the U.S. overall, according to Impact Databank, and it eked out 0.3% growth in control states through June. Diageo’s Don Julio Tequila is the spirits market’s leader by retail dollar value. While Don Julio has slowed this year, Tequila overall continues to rise in control states, though the category is up less than 2% year-to-date.
Spirits volume leader Sazerac is up 1.8% in control states so far this year after totaling more than 43 million cases nationally in 2025, according to Impact Databank. Meanwhile, Fifth Generation, ranked ninth, grew 2.2% in the year-to-date in control markets, as Tito’s vodka posted a 1.8% increase.
| Top 10 Spirits Companies in the U.S. By Volume1 | ||||||
| Rank | Company | Total 2025 U.S. Volume2 |
Control States Volume Growth 2025 YTD3 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sazerac Co. | 43.4 | 1.8% | |||
| 2 | Diageo | 38.2 | -2.7% | |||
| 3 | Spirit of Gallo | 36.8 | -4.3% | |||
| 4 | Suntory Global Spirits | 22.0 | -3.6% | |||
| 5 | Heaven Hill Brands | 16.1 | -5.0% | |||
| 6 | Pernod Ricard USA | 15.3 | -4.7% | |||
| 7 | Bacardi USA | 15.0 | -0.9% | |||
| 8 | Proximo Spirits | 12.3 | -1.3% | |||
| 9 | Fifth Generation Inc. | 12.1 | 2.2% | |||
| 10 | Stateside Brands | 11.2 | 14.7% | |||
| Total Spirits Market | 310.4 | 0.01% | ||||
| 1 Includes RTDs. 2 Millions of 9-liter case depletions. 3 Year-to-date June. Source: NABCA and IMPACT DATABANK © 2026 |
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