Scotch up as most spirits drop in control states
Sales of Scotch in US monopoly states rebounded last month, driven by New Hampshire, according to data from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA).
Spirits sales in US control states dipped by 1.9% in volume and by 3.4% in value in February 2026, compared to the same month last year.
For the 12 months to February 2026, spirits fell by 1.4% in volume and by 3% in value.
The NABCA, which releases monthly spirits data, revealed that Scotch whisky managed to overturn declines from previous months. In February, the category saw its sales grow by 4.5% in volume, while value rose by 1.9%.
The NABCA attributed Scotch’s gain primarily to New Hampshire (up 152%), supported by strong promotional activity.
This increase for Scotch was a major change from January, when the category recorded one of the biggest drops in control states.
February’s total spirits performance was impacted by six fewer selling days in Utah, with no other states experiencing calendar shifts.
Canned cocktails, Tequila and cachaça continued to post volume increases for February, rising by 19.5%, 1% and 4.6% respectively.
Value-wise, however, Tequila did not grow, decreasing by 3.4%. Canned cocktails soared by 16.1% in value while cachaça rose by 10.4%.
The steepest volume and value drop of all spirits categories came from Canadian whisky, which fell by 11.1% in volume and by 11.7% in value.
Brandy/Cognac also recorded a 6.9% volume drop, while rum was down by 6.1% and domestic whiskey decreased by 3.1%.
Vodka’s volumes dipped slightly by 0.9% and gin fell by 5.3%. Irish whiskey saw a 4.2% decrease in volume.
In terms of states, only New Hampshire, Montana, Maine and West Virginia posted volume gains. By value, only New Hampshire and Montana recorded spirits growth in February.
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