Early reports on Memorial Day weekend sales are coming in, and it appears to have been a good holiday for bev/al marketers — or at least distilled spirits marketers — on Drizly.
The top-selling liquor on Drizly this Memorial Day weekend was Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Tito’s and Casamigos Blanco both held their position from last year, but Jameson Irish Whiskey, Hennesssy V.S. Cognac and Grey Goose Vodka all fell from the top five, replaced by High Noon Hard Seltzer Variety Pack, Clase Azul Reposado Tequila and Espolon Tequila Blanco.
The fact that three of the top five sellers were tequila is symbolic of the strength of tequila this Memorial Day. This year, vodka held only a 1 percentage point lead of tequila in terms of all liquor sales — 22% for vodka, 21% for tequila.
As for ready-to-drinks, for the first time the RtD subcategory surpassed the hard seltzer category, 4.8% to 4.4%. High Noon’s performance was especially notable, placing as No. 3 this year, up from No. 7 a year earlier. Cutwater Spirits was even more impressive, climbing to No. 13 from No. 31.