Drizly reveals top-selling Tequilas

Alcohol delivery service Drizly has listed its fastest-growing and best-selling Tequila brands to date, as the category increases its share on the US platform to 19%.

Over the last five years, Tequila has increased its share on Drizly from 13% in 2019 to 19% in 2023 to date.

It also pointed to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis data that noted Tequila registered a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) increase of 4% from 2017 to 2022.

Furthermore, the growth rate for premium-and-above Tequila rose by 21% over the same period.

Between 2022 and 2027, IWSR predicts that the CAGR for higher-end Tequila will increase by 13%.

Drizly’s three top-selling Tequilas in 2023 to date remained the same from last year: Casamigos Blanco, Clase Azul Reposado, and Espolòn Tequila Blanco.

Diageo’s Don Julio 1942 moved down from the number four spot to number five, with stablemate Casamigos Reposado just ahead of it.

After Don Julio 1942, the top sellers that followed were: Patrón Silver, Jose Cuervo Especial Silver, Don Julio Blanco, 1800 Blanco, and Espolòn Tequila Reposado.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Teremana Tequila brand took the 12^th spot for its blanco after falling by two places, and the 15^th spot for its reposado.

New on the list this year is Don Julio Rosado in the 20^th spot, a Tequila finished in Port wine casks.

Liz Paquette, head of consumer insights for Drizly, said: “Celebrity-owned brands have become a major driver of the category with brands like Casamigos [founded by George Clooney] and Teremana making up several of the top 20 SKUs.”

Adam Rogers, a research director at IWSR, noted that younger drinkers are driving growth for celebrity-backed brands.

“Celebrities have vast social media networks and since younger legal-drinking-age consumers are more digitally savvy than other cohorts, the ability to ‘drink what a celebrity does’ provides a large sense of badge value and affordable luxury,” he added.

Drizly’s top 10 fastest-growing Tequila brands to date were: Cazcanes, Aldez, Tequila Alquimia, Wild Common, Tequila Cascahuin, Casa del Sol, Royal Emblem, Flecha Azul, Z Pepe, and Mijenta.

Subcategory analysis

Gen Z accounts for 7% share of Tequila sales on Drizly, but only 4% of overall sales on the platform.

Millennials account for 51% share of category sales, and represent 45% of total sales on the platform.

Silver/blanco remains the top-selling Tequila subcategory on Drizly, but its share has fallen over the last four years.

In 2021, the segment accounted for a 57% share of the Tequila sector and it held 12 positions among the top 20 Tequila SKUs.

However, its share is now 50%, and the subcategory holds half of the top 20 positions.

Meanwhile, reposado has increased its share, holding 30% in 2023 to date and occupying six spots on the platform’s best-selling list.

It previously held a 23% share of the category in 2021, and only four spots in the top 20 best-selling Tequilas.

Nielsen IQ data cited by Drizly showed that reposado sales climbed by 14% in the year to 15 July 2023. The añejo subcategory increased by 4.5%, while blanco grew by nearly 6%.

Tequila’s average unit price on Drizly has increased from US$39.32 in 2019 to US$48.55 in 2023 to date, despite the slowdown of the premiumisation trend in the past year.

The category has been less affected by the “cooling of premiumisation”, compared to other spirits segments, Rogers noted.

“High-end Tequila products remain very sought after, but the segment is, like other categories, subject to heightened scrutiny regarding the price-to-quality ratio,” he said.

“The majority of US consumers are still going through difficult economic situations and are being more careful about their product selections, ensuring they are getting the most for their money.”

Beam Suntory-owned Maker’s Mark surpassed Bulleit as the top-selling Bourbon brand on Drizly last year.