Whisky drags control state spirits sales down in January
Spirits sales in US control states fell by 3.7% in value in January 2026, driven by declines for Scotch and Canadian whisky.
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.
In January, control states recorded spirits value sales of US$917 million. Volume-wise, the category also decreased, falling by 2.1%.
The NABCA said the volume decline in January was partly due to four fewer selling days in Michigan – the second-largest spirits control state. However, this was partially offset by three extra purchasing days in Utah.
For the 12 months to January 2026, control state spirits volumes fell by 1.6% and by 3.1% in value.
In terms of spirits categories, all but three were in volume decline in January. Tequila saw a 2.1% volume rise, cachaça rose by 1.2% and ‘cocktails’, which includes canned ready-to-drink products, soared by 26.1%.
By value, only cocktails and cachaça were in growth that month, rising by 27.2% and 2.6% respectively.
In the year ending January 2026, cocktails managed to grow both its volume and value, rising by 22.9% and 22.5% respectively.
Tequila also posted volume growth, up by 1.9%, but value dipped by 0.4% for the year.
NABCA noted that Tequila’s volume gain must be viewed in the context of a 2.3% price mix decline – the weakest price mix performance among all categories.
Nearly all spirits segments in decline
The biggest value declines came from Scotch and Canadian whisky, which both fell by 7.6% in January. Irish whiskey closely followed with a 7.3% drop, followed by brandy/Cognac (down by 6.8%).
Gin, meanwhile, was down by 3.4% in value, while domestic whiskey fell 4.4% and rum by 5.7%.
On a volume basis, Canadian whisky struggled with an 8.4% decrease in January, followed by Irish whiskey (down by 8.3%). Scotch saw a 7.6% drop and both rum and brandy/Cognac declined by 6.5%.
For the first month of the year, vodka decreased its volumes by 2.6%. American whiskey saw its volumes slip by 4.5% and gin by 5.6%.
On a state-by-state perspective, Michigan and Wyoming saw double-digit spirits volume drops, falling by 17.7% and 13% respectively.
Five states managed to grow their volumes in January: Mississippi (up 12.5%), Utah (up 9.4%), Pennsylvania (up 2.9%), Virginia (up 1.8%) and Alabama (up 1.7%).
Mississippi was the only state in double-digit value growth, rising by 11.1% for the month.
Other states to post growth were Idaho, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Utah.
For the 2025 full year, total spirits sales in US control states decreased by volume and value.
Tito’s was the leading spirit in Virginia last year, but sales of the vodka declined by US$236,017 when compared with 2024.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US’s 2026 economic briefing, Canadian whisky sales in the States fell by 5.1% in value and by 2.9% in volume last year.
The US imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian products including whisky last year. In response, most Canadian provinces removed American alcohol from shelves last March, leading to a 70% drop in US spirits exports.
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