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Flavours in spirits ‘crucial’ to US on-trade

New insights from CGA predict flavoured spirits will play a ‘crucial role’ in the American on-trade in 2022.

vodka flavours spirits
Flavours in spirits will play a ‘crucial role’ in the US on-trade this year, CGA said

Data from CGA’s On Premise Measurement (OPM) study in the US shows spirits currently account for 44.3% of the value of all alcoholic drinks sold in the on-trade sector.

Whisk(e)y sales generated almost US$11 billion last year, CGA said, making it the biggest spirit category by value in the channel.

In contrast, flavoured whisk(e)y made up less than 20% of all whisk(e)y sales, which CGA said presents ‘latent potential within this segment’.

Flavoured vodkas account for more than a fifth of all vodka sold in the US on-trade, and flavoured rum represented 29.9% of all rum sales in the on-trade last year.

Andrew Hummel, client solutions manager – Americas, said: “In the US, spirits such as whisk(e)y, vodka and rum are critical components of a successful on-premise beverage programme.

“Solutions such as our On Premise Cocktail Report can also help suppliers in this space, as it provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics of the cocktail category, along with valuable consumer insights to help identify the opportunities within this category.”

Cocktails also hold potential for flavoured spirits, CGA noted.

‘Berry’ was the most popular cocktail flavour among US consumers in 2019, followed by ‘fruity and sweet’, then ‘citrus’.

Over the last two years, ‘spicy’ flavours enjoyed the biggest uptick in popularity (2.6%).

Tequila experienced the largest volume increase of all spirits categories in the US on-trade in 2021, climbing by 54%, according to CGA data.

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