During April nine-liter case sales of distilled spirits fell 1.6% over same period sales last year under the influence of a monster comp (17.5%) and calendar anomalies, National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association reports.
Mississippi (-1.3%) and New Hampshire (-3.0%) reported monthly growth rates for April exceeding their twelve-month trends. The growth rates for Alabama (-3.1%), Iowa (-2.3%), Idaho (-2.0%), Montgomery County Maryland (9.4%), Maine (-9.0%), Michigan (-2.2%), Montana (-0.9%), North Carolina (1.2%), Ohio (-2.0%), Oregon (-1.7%), Pennsylvania (2.8%), Utah (-16.5%), Virginia (-0.4%), Vermont (-1.0%), West Virginia (-6.5%), and Wyoming (-13.2%) fell short of their 12-month trends. Control state rolling-twelve-month-volume growth, 2.2%, is down from March’s reported 3.5%. Spirits’ volumes growth is -0.6% year-to-date compared to 7.4% a year ago.
Control state spirits shelf dollars are up 0.9% during April while trending at 5.9% during the past twelve months. New Hampshire (3.0%) reported a monthly growth rate for April exceeding its twelve-month trend. Alabama (-1.5%), Iowa (0.1%), Idaho (1.7%), Montgomery County Maryland (9.5%), Maine (-1.8%), Michigan (0.4%), Mississippi (0.9%), Montana (0.8%), North Carolina (6.3%), Ohio (0.2%), Oregon (3.4%), Pennsylvania (-0.7%), Utah (-16.7%), Virginia (2.8%), Vermont (1.0%), West Virginia (-5.7%), and Wyoming (-13.9%) grew shelf dollars at rates below their twelve-month trends. Shelf dollars in the control states are up 2.4% year-to-date compared to being up 15.9% last April.
Price/Mix for April is 2.5%, up from March’s reported 2.3%.
After equivalizing selling-day variations between this and last year’s April, the nine-liter-case-spirits growth rate is -0.9% with a rolling-twelve-month trend of 2.2% and YTD growth of -0.5%. April’s shelf-dollar growth rate is 1.4% with a rolling-twelve-month trend of 6.0% and YTD growth of 2.5%. The equivalized price/mix for April is 2.3%.
Cocktails, with 4% share of the nine-liter case control states spirits market, was April’s fastest growing category with 29.0% reported and a twelve-month trend of 34.8%.
- Tequila, with 9% share, grew at 7.4% during April and 17.6% during the past twelve months.
- Vodka, with 32% share, grew during the same periods at -2.8% and 0.1%, respectively.
- Brandy/Cognac (-15.4% during April, -13.6% twelve-month trend), Canadian Whiskey (-3.7%, -1.8%), Cocktails (29.0%, 34.8%), Cordials (-1.3%, 6.2%), Domestic Whiskey (0.1%, 2.1%), Gin (-7.9%, -1.7%), Irish Whiskey (1.7%, 10.0%), Rum (-6.2%, -0.9%), Scotch (-5.8%, -1.3%), Tequila (7.4%, 17.6%), and Vodka (-2.8%, 0.1%) all grew at rates below their twelve-month trends.
April’s nine-liter wine case sales growth rate was -7.6%. Pennsylvania (reporting -6.7% nine-liter-case growth for wines), New Hampshire (-6.6%), Mississippi (0.7%), Utah (-22.6%), Montgomery County Maryland (-5.2%), and Wyoming (-5.4%) are the control states that are the sole wholesalers of wines and spirits within their geographical boundaries. Rolling-twelve-month wine volume growth in these six control states is –5.7%, down from March’s reported -3.7%.