Demand On The Rise For U.S. Whiskey

(RTTNews) - Demand for American bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, two distinctive products of the U.S., have increased internationally, with their sales exceeding $1 billion for the second consecutive year, the Distilled Spirits Council, the U.S. industry group for hard liquor, said.

The demand up-tick has led to a 10 percent growth in overall supplier sales for the year to $2.7 billion. Meanwhile, domestic volume climbed 7.4 percent to 19.4 million cases.

Irish Whiskey and Single Malt Scotch continued their growth with volumes up 9.1 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively. Cognac volumes climbed 11.4 percent, and Tequila volumes grew 5 percent.

Data showed that flavored whiskeys continued their strong growth, to some extent drawing consumers from other categories. While flavored vodka sales were off, traditional Vodka volumes were up 3.7 percent.

Council Chief Economist David Ozgo said, "The breadth and range of quality spirits products now on the market make this an exciting time for the industry's customers."

Council Senior Vice President for International Trade Christine LoCascio predicted that American spirits exports in 2014 would grow 3.7 percent to $1.56 billion for the fifth straight year of record exports.