Was there really any doubt that Tito’s was the official spirit of the United States?

On Sunday, the American Association of Wine Economists shared a chart on Twitter depicting data originally published in the Wine Handbook 2021, a comprehensive beverage industry guidebook by the Beverage Information Group. The chart, “Leading Distilled Spirits Brands in the U.S., 2019 and 2020,” shows a comparison of sales by volume from 2019 to 2020 for the top 20 highest-selling spirits brands in the nation.

Tito’s was the highest selling distilled spirit by volume in 2020, selling over 10 million 9-liter cases of vodka, with a 7.8 percent increase from 2019. In second place was rival vodka brand Smirnoff, and in third, Crown Royal. Both are owned by Diageo North America.

Not only is the list evocative of the popularity of certain brands, but also the shifts in American drinking spurred by the pandemic.

The brand with the largest percent change from 2019 to 2020 was Jose Cuervo RTD, a line of ready-to-drink Margaritas, growing 34.7 percent and landing at 16th place, solidifying pre-made cocktails’ place in the beverage market. Other brands that spiked in output include Patron, Malibu, and the traditional line of Jose Cuervo spirits.

There were only three brands on the list that saw a deficit: Jack Daniels, with a deficit of -1.9 percent and coming in at 9th place; and Jameson and Absolut, both owned by Pernod Ricard and landing in 14th and 15th place, respectively.

Check out the list of the Top 20 Liquor Brands in the U.S. in 2020 below!

# 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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