Whiskey industry in the U.S. - Statistics & Facts
Whiskey is on the rise again in the United States after struggling with the rest of the alcoholic beverages industry for the last few years. Despite the recent setbacks, the U.S. is still the second largest whiskey market in the world, trailing only India. In 2024, the whiskey market in the United States was worth 20 billion U.S. dollars.
Compared to some other segments of the industry, whiskey is managing the downturn in spirits consumption well, proving that Americans are not overly eager to give up the long tradition they have with the beverage.
U.S is the whiskey import destination
Whiskey is a strictly regulated spirit worldwide and may differ in base product, alcoholic content, and quality according to region. The United Kingdom, the home of Scotch whisky, was the single largest exporter of the spirit in the world in 2023, with exports valued at more than seven billion U.S. dollars. The United States was in a distant second at 1.5 billion dollars. On the other hand, the U.S. was, by far, the biggest importer of whisky in the same year, with imports valued at over 1.9 billion dollars.Whiskey falls behind vodka again
In 2023, whiskey sales volume in the United States amounted to over 74 million 9 liter cases. In the previous year, whiskey had comprised a larger share of the U.S. spirit industry compared to vodka for the first time. Whiskey returned to second place in 2023 as sales volume declined by four percent. Among American whiskey's, straight whiskey (a whiskey which must be aged in a charred oak barrel for at least two years) had five times the consumption volume of blended whiskey (made from a mix of different whiskeys and/or grain spirits, coloring and flavoring).Smaller brands gaining ground
American whiskey is typically distilled from fermented mash of cereal grain and comprised of different types such as: bourbon, corn, malt, rye, and wheat whiskey. Brands in the Jim Beam family are amongst the leading straight whiskey brands in the United States, accounting for 19.9 percent of sales volume, though smaller distillers are increasingly gaining market share. Other popular whiskey brands in the U.S. include: Fireball, Crown Royal, Jack Daniel's, and Jameson Irish Whiskey. In the global whiskey market, Jack Daniel's leads American whiskey brand sales.Compared to some other segments of the industry, whiskey is managing the downturn in spirits consumption well, proving that Americans are not overly eager to give up the long tradition they have with the beverage.
