StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
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StateWays | www.stateways.com | September/October 2016 20 W hatever the reasons - and they are as varied as the styles, proofs and types of whiskeys ema- nating from this country's distilleries - Ameri- can whiskey continues to boom. Last year the entire broad category grew more than fi ve percent, according to fi gures from the Beverage Information and Insights Group, but those fi gures also include the fl ailing blended whiskey brands. Recent Nielsen scan data suggests the numbers for straight whiskey this year so far are closer to eight percent. Signifi cantly, it's the high-end premium and super-premium Bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys that are growing faster, al- though off a smaller base. Super-premium volumes rose 25.2 percent in 2015 and revenues were up 26.5 percent for the sub-category that includes such brands as Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel, according to in- dustry trade group, Distilled Spirits Council. One notch down, premium brands including Jack Daniel's, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey and Jim Beam Black rose 6.8 percent and revenues were up 7.7 percent. And the international boom has become increasingly import- ant, with Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey exports topping $1 billion for the third straight year. MARKET PRESSURES The relatively sudden change in fortunes has shifted the conversation from, 'how do American distillers sell more whiskey?' to 'how can they keep up with the demand?' The ultimate question, of course, is how far and long can this go on, given the steady expansion of American whiskey both here and abroad. Still aware of the long, slow decline of Bourbon and the near-disappearance of rye in the late 20th century, many dis- NO SIGNS SLOWING BY JACK ROBERTIELLO AMERICAN MADE AMERICAN American Whiskey is once again the fastest-growing spirits category. of Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell (left) and his son, Wild Turkey Master Distiller Eddie Russell (right).