Bourbon dominates Drizly’s top-selling whiskies list

Alcohol delivery service Drizly has revealed its best-selling whiskies over the last 12 months, with Bourbon brands coming out on top.

BevAlc Insights analysed the best-selling whisky products on US e-commerce platform Drizly over the last year, and found that after gaining 2.5% over the time period, Bourbon now commands a 40% share of the retailer’s whisky category sales, while the category’s ‘closest rival’, Scotch whisky, declined by 1% to hold a 22% share in the same period.

Irish whiskey and Canadian whisky each made gains over the previous year to reach 9% and 4% share respectively, while share for all other whisky subcategories declined or remained flat.

Liz Paquette, head of consumer insights at Drizly, credits the ‘drink local’ movement for the popularity of American whiskey, with Bourbon leading the way.

“More than half of the whisky sold on Drizly in the past 12 months was produced in the United States,” she commented. “This is supported by an increase in whiskey tourism with many brands opening tasting rooms to allow consumers to connect more closely with these brands.”

Diageo-owned Bulleit Bourbon was the retailer’s most popular bottling over the last year, closely followed by Jameson Irish whiskey, and the 1.75-litre bottling of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey.

The Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old single malt is the first Scotch whisky to feature on the top 20 list, coming in eighth position.

It is flanked by Maker’s Mark Bourbon in both the 1.75-litre format, and the 750ml format.

Hibiki Harmony is the only Japanese whisky to feature on the list, at position 13.

Key markets

The top three markets for Drizly’s whisky sales are New York City, Denver, and New Jersey, while Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta also feature among the platform’s top 10 markets for whisky sales.

Drizly’s fastest-growing markets for whisky sales also span the country, with Fayetteville, Arkansas; Portland, Oregon; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Norwalk, Connecticut among the top 10.

Consumers aged 35-41 make up the greatest share of whisky purchasers on Drizly at 25%, followed by the 42-48 age group and consumers aged 28-34.

Meanwhile the 35-41, 49-55, and 63-69 age groups all increased share over the previous year.

On the list of the top 10 fastest-growing whisky products on Drizly, Lagavulin Offerman Edition Double Charred 11-Year-Old came out on top, followed by The Macallan Harmony Collection Intense Arabica.

Meanwhile Bob Dylan’s 10-year-old Heaven’s Door Bourbon took the final spot on the podium.

Premiumisation drives whisky

BevAlc Insights’ data suggests that while the premiumisation trend has begun to slow across most beverage categories, higher-end products remain a key driver for the whisky category.

On Drizly, the US$30-$40 price category accounts for the largest share of whisky sales at 18%, holding steady over the previous year.

The US$40-$50 tier accounts for 13% share, and products priced in the US$50-$60 range comprise 11% share.

In addition, Neilson IQ figures have tracked ‘impressive’ growth for whisky in the ultra-premium category.

During the 52 weeks ending 12 August 2023, products in the ultra-premium price tier saw the largest gain in dollar sales at 1.4%.

For the Bourbon subcategory, the ultra-premium tier saw a dollar sales increase of nearly 14%, and a price per unit cost of more than US$60.

For whisky subcategories that saw sales decline overall, growth was seen in the ultra-premium tier; while Irish whiskey sales decreased by 0.7%, products in the ultra-premium tier grew by more than 19%.

Likewise, Japanese whisky declined by 2.7% overall, but ultra-premium products in the category saw nearly 5% growth.

Fuelling the category

Paquette noted that US consumers tend to be loyal to their ‘go-to’ whisky brands, but they also crave new offerings and varieties. “Limited and special edition whiskies continue to drive buzz among consumers in this category, as fans of brands seek new versions of their favourites.”

Adam Rogers, research director at IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, also believes innovation is fuelling the category: “Consumer interest in whisky remains unwavering, driven by limited release offerings, new flavour profiles and origins, and innovative production techniques.

“Interest in exploring whisky will drive future demand as consumers continually seek new expressions from regions around the world.”

Drizly recently shared its sales data for the Tequila category, revealing that the spirit has increased its share on the platform from 13% in 2019 to 19% in 2023.