United States spirits drinkers are nothing if not loyal. The nation’s top 10 spirits brands dominated their category in 2022, accounting for nearly 30 percent of overall sales and a total of 81.2 million 9-liter cases, according to a report by Impact Databank. And in a group of industry leaders that have been established in this market for decades, a new beverage brand took over the top spot.
That’s right: High Noon, which didn’t even make the top 20 spirits brands list in 2020, has catapulted right to the top, with a generous lead in sales at 16.4 million cases in 2022. This indicates an 86 percent sales increase, reflecting the ever-rising demand for canned cocktails. High Noon also released a line of tequila-based seltzers in early 2023 to appeal to the large audience of tequila drinkers, which will no doubt further propel their growth.
Speaking of tequila, no tequila company reached the top 10 list despite the agave spirit’s explosive growth in the U.S. In 2020, brands like Jose Cuervo and Patron ranked in at the 11th and 19th spots, respectively, while though the category continues to have its moment, this growth hasn’t yet driven any tequila brands to make the chart.
In the whiskey category, Crown Royal Canadian Whisky retained its popularity, while flavored whisky company Fireball had a 5.5 percent increase in sales. American whiskey brands Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam also maintained their status in the top 10 list.
Vodka still remains one of the most popular categories in the U.S., with three vodka brands making the top 10 list. Even though High Noon surpassed Tito’s as the top spirits brand in the U.S., the Texas-based vodka brand also grew in 2022, gaining popularity in Europe in addition to its footholds in the states. Tito’s experienced a five percent increase in sales, totalling 11.55 million cases and accounting for 14 percent of the vodka category.
On the rum front, Bacardi notably dropped a few spots from its 2020 ranking, falling from the fourth-most popular brand down to the seventh. Captain Morgan also went from eighth in 2020 to tenth in 2022, showing that other spirits categories are surpassing rum. Captain Morgan did announce they were reformulating their core Spiced Rum earlier this year, so maybe the shift in flavor profile will help revamp its appeal.
Check out the list of the top 10 liquor brands in the U.S. below.
| # | Brand | Category | Supplier | Total 2022 Sales Volume* | |
| 1 | High Noon | Hard Seltzer | Spirit of Gallo | 16.40 | |
| 2 | Tito’s Handmade Vodka | Vodka | Fifth Generation | 11.55 | |
| 3 | Smirnoff | Vodka | Diageo | 8.75 | |
| 4 | Crown Royal | Canadian Whisky | Diageo | 7.20 | |
| 5 | Fireball | Flavored Whisky | Sazerac Co. | 7.15 | |
| 6 | Jack Daniel’s | Tennessee Whiskey | Brown-Forman | 6.78 | |
| 7 | Bacardi | Rum | Bacardi USA | 6.63 | |
| 8 | Jim Beam | Bourbon | Beam Suntory | 6.09 | |
| 9 | New Amsterdam | Vodka | Spirit of Gallo | 5.33 | |
| 10 | Captain Morgan | Rum | Diageo | 5.33 |
*In millions of 9-liter cases
Top 20 Most Popular Liquor Brands in 2020
| # | Brand | Category | Supplier | Sales in 2020 (in ‘000 9-liter cases) | Change from 2019 |
| 1 | Tito’s Handmade Vodka | Vodka | Fifth Generation, Inc. | 10,353 | 17.8% |
| 2 | Smirnoff | Vodka | Diageo North America | 9,030 | 2.3% |
| 3 | Crown Royal | Canadian Whiskey | Diageo North America | 7,233 | 5.3% |
| 4 | Bacardi | Rum | Bacardi USA | 6,442 | 8.5% |
| 5 | Jim Beam Family | Straight whiskey | Beam Suntory | 6,358 | 9.5% |
| 6 | Fireball | Cordials and Liqueurs | Sazerac | 6,295 | 11.4% |
| 7 | New Amsterdam Vodka | Vodka | E&J Gallo Winery | 6,090 | 14.9% |
| 8 | Captain Morgan | Rum | Diageo North America | 5,590 | 1.8% |
| 9 | Jack Daniels | Straight Whiskey | Brown-Forman Corp | 5,205 | -1.9% |
| 10 | Svedka | Vodka | Constellation Brands | 4,730 | 3.9% |
| 11 | Jose Cuervo | Tequila | Proximo Spirits | 4,680 | 21.4% |
| 12 | Hennessy | Brandy & Cognac | Moet Hennessy USA | 4,405 | 12.8% |
| 13 | E & J | Brandy & Cognac | E & J Gallo Winery | 3,845 | 1.1% |
| 14 | Jameson | Irish Whiskey | Pernod Ricard USA | 3,580 | -3.8% |
| 15 | Absolut | Vodka | Pernod Ricard USA | 3,130 | -8.3% |
| 16 | Jose Cuervo RTD | Prepared Cocktails | Proximo Spirits | 3,085 | 34.7% |
| 17 | Evan Willaims | Straight Whiskey | Heaven Hill Brands | 3,004 | 7.7% |
| 18 | Malibu | Rum | Pernod Ricard USA | 2,734 | 24.7% |
| 19 | Patron | Tequila | Bacardi USA | 2,730 | 26.3% |
| 20 | Ketel One Vodka | Vodka | Diageo N America/ Nolet | 2,534 | 5.3% |
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