Whisky hinders spirits sales in control states
Total spirits volumes across US control states declined in both volume and value in October, with decreases for Canadian whisky, Scotch and rum.
The National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA), which represents the states that directly control the distribution and sale of alcohol within their borders, releases monthly data covering spirits volume and value sales across 18 US markets. It also does the same for wine across the category’s 12 control states.
According to NABCA data, spirits volumes across all control states dipped by 0.8% in October, compared to the same month last year. Value-wise, spirits were down by 2.1%.
It followed a 0.7% increase for spirits volumes across all control states in September, and a 0.9% value decrease.
On a 12-month rolling basis (to October 2025), the spirits category was down by 1.1% in volume and by 2.2% in value.
Major spirits categories struggled to grow their volumes in October, including vodka (down by 1.7%), rum (down by 6.1%), Scotch whisky (down by 5.4%) and Canadian whisky (down by 12%).
Meanwhile, American whiskey (the second-biggest spirits category by volume after vodka) dipped by 0.9% in both volume and value in October. In the year to October 2025, the category decreased by 3% in volume and by 1.8% in value.
While it remains a small category, Irish whiskey saw a rebound in volume, up by 1.8% in October, but its value was down slightly by 0.7%. Tequila also grew by 2.2% in volume in October while its value dipped by 1.4%.
The ‘cocktails’ category, which includes ready-to-drink, soared by 19.5% in volume and by 24.2% in value during October.
In the year to date, the cocktails segment rose by almost a quarter in both volume (24.9%) and value (24.2%).
Tequila was the only other category to grow in the past 12 months, up by 3.4% in volume and by 2.2% in value.
The largest control state by volume, Pennsylvania, recorded a 1% increase in spirits volume (up by 0.5% in value). For the year to date, Pennsylvania saw a 2.5% volume rise.
Other states that reported volume growth for spirits in October were Utah (up 15%), New Hampshire (up 13.5%), North Carolina (up 4.7%), Alabama (up 4.7%) and Montgomery County (up 12.4%).
Only West Virginia recorded a double-digit spirits volume drop of all control states in October, falling by 10.3%. Other major states in volume decline for spirits were Michigan (down by 8.9%), Mississippi (down 4.7%), Ohio (down 3.1%), Iowa (down 6.2%) and Idaho (down 1.8%).
For spirits sold in the on-premise channel across 14 control states, volumes were up by 0.6% in October but value decreased by 1.6%.
For the 12 months to October 2025, on-premise spirits volumes dipped by 0.8% in volume and by 2.5% in value.
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