The RTD category exploded in 2022, as consumers increasingly traded up to sip on spirits-based canned drinks rather than the malt-based seltzers of yesteryear.
As a whole, RTD brands accounted for 40 million cases in sales volume in 2022. Vodka-based seltzer High Noon Sun Sips dominated in sales volume last year, according to a recent article by Shanken News Daily, capturing a significant percentage of the spirit industry’s total growth. The data, based on 2022 reports from Impact Databank, analyzed the sales volume of several major players in the spirits industry.
High Noon’s sales doubled over the last year to over a whopping 16 million cases, surpassing Tito’s Vodka as the No. 1 best-selling spirit in the U.S. The spirits category overall grew in volume by over six percent, heavily driven by the spiked seltzer’s popularity.
Tito’s and Fireball followed behind High Noon in terms of year-over-year growth, ranking No. 2 and No. 5 in total sales volume, respectively. Tito’s recorded a growth of five percent (600,000 cases), while Fireball grew by 5.5 percent (an additional 400,000 cases compared to the previous year). The two brands have long anchored their popularity in the spirits category and contributed heavily to the industry’s total sales volume.
Diageo-owned Smirnoff ranked No. 3 in sales, while Crown Royal clinched the No. 4 spot. The full report, including a ranking of the top 25 brands in the spirits industry, will be available in the coming weeks.
