In March, 9 liter spirits case sales grew by 4.4 percent in control states compared to March 2017. Spirits volume grew 2.7 percent compared to 2.0 percent a year ago. Many states had a strong month, exceeding their 12 month trends, including: Montgomery County Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. The Price/Mix for March was 3.5 percent, improving on February’s 2.4 percent. March’s Control State spirits growth rate was slightly effected by the reporting calendars as there was 5 weeks in the month contributing to 10 more selling days. The fastest growing category in March remained Irish Whiskey for the fourteenth straight month followed closely by Tequila and Vodka.
Source: NABCA, April 2018