Canned cocktails lifted July spirits volume in control states 0.3%

Canned ready-to-drink cocktails helped keep U.S. spirits sales volume flat to slightly higher in control states in July, but retailers still took in less money than a year earlier as pricing and product mix weakened across much of the market.

A monthly report from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, or NABCA, said spirits sales in control states and jurisdictions reached 5.54 million nine-liter cases in July, up 0.3% from the same month last year. Retail sales at shelf prices fell 2.2% to $1.143 billion. That gap points to a price and mix effect of -2.5%, meaning more equivalent product moved through stores but at a lower value per unit.

NABCA said the monthly result was shaped in part by market-specific factors. Michigan had four fewer selling days than it did a year earlier. Utah changed the operating model for its agency stores, moving from a traditional wholesale purchasing system to one based on transfers. Those changes held back activity. New Hampshire moved in the other direction, helped by its Summertime Bonus Card Bonanza promotion, which also supported categories including Scotch whisky and tequila.

The small gain in July did not change the broader trend. Over the 12 months from August 2025 through July 2026, total spirits volume in control states fell 0.6% to 60.40 million nine-liter cases. Retail value dropped 2.6% to $13.05 billion. Based on the published growth rates, that roughly equals a decline of about 365,000 nine-liter cases and about $348 million from the previous rolling 12-month period, though those figures are estimates derived from rounded percentages.

Cocktails were the clearest source of growth. NABCA’s cocktail category, which includes canned ready-to-drink products, rose 19.5% in July volume to 771,634 nine-liter cases. Dollar sales climbed 18.5% to $58.95 million. No other large category posted that kind of increase, and the gain helped offset declines in vodka, American whiskey, rum, gin, brandy and cognac, and Canadian whisky. Over the rolling 12 months, cocktails reached 5.94 million cases and $492.13 million, with both volume and value up 23.7%.

Vodka remained the largest category by both volume and value in July, with 1.62 million nine-liter cases and $246.56 million in sales. Even so, vodka sales fell 2.2% by volume and 3.4% by value. American whiskey ranked second in volume and third in value, at 828,733 cases and $234.01 million, down 3.6% and 3.5%, respectively. Together, vodka and American whiskey accounted for more than 44% of total July volume.

Tequila showed a different pattern. Volume rose 3.1% to 701,697 cases, but value fell 1.6% to $236.16 million. That left tequila as the second-largest category by dollar sales, close behind vodka, but under clear pressure on price and mix. Over the rolling 12 months, tequila volume increased 1.6% while value slipped 2.4%, producing a -4.0% price and mix effect, the weakest among the larger categories in the NABCA data.

Scotch whisky also gained in July, with volume up 3.2% to 79,075 cases, while value edged up just 0.1% to $32.28 million. NABCA linked part of that performance, as with tequila, to the New Hampshire promotion. Liqueurs and cordials rose 1.1% in volume and 1.6% in value to 379,008 cases and $83.27 million. Irish whiskey volume increased 0.4%, though value slipped 0.2%. Cachaça, from a much smaller base, rose 10.9% in volume and 11.8% in value.

On the weaker side of the market, Canadian whisky posted the steepest July decline among medium and large categories, down 8.5% in volume and 8.4% in value to 308,382 cases and $67.12 million. NABCA said that category fell in every control state. Brandy and cognac were down 6.4% in both volume and value. Gin fell 5.2% in volume and 4.2% in value. Rum declined 4.5% and 4.9%. Grain alcohol slipped 1.7% and 2.9%, and the smaller group of other imported spirits fell 2.1% in volume and 4.9% in value.

The rolling 12-month figures showed how much the market depended on prepared cocktails for growth. Only cocktails, tequila, and cachaça posted volume gains. Only cocktails and cachaça improved in both volume and value. Canadian whisky was down 7.4% in volume and 7.9% in value over the 12-month period. Brandy and cognac fell 6.5% and 7.5%. Rum dropped 5.7% and 5.9%. Scotch whisky fell 5.0% in volume and 6.1% in value. Vodka, despite remaining the top category, declined 1.9% in volume and 2.8% in value, while American whiskey fell 2.8% and 2.1%.

The market remained concentrated in a few categories. Vodka, tequila, and American whiskey together made up 62.7% of all spirits value sold in July across control jurisdictions and 56.8% of total volume. When cocktails were added, the four categories represented 70.7% of nine-liter cases sold and 67.9% of dollars. Cocktails accounted for about 13.9% of volume but only 5.2% of value, reflecting their lower dollar contribution per equivalent unit.

By market, New Hampshire recorded the strongest July growth, with volume up 21.5% to 276,954 cases and value up 21.1% to $52.06 million. North Carolina increased volume 9.3% to 764,593 cases, while value rose 1.4% to $159.39 million. Alabama posted a 6.8% gain in volume and a 2.1% increase in value. Those three were the only jurisdictions in NABCA’s table to grow both measures at the same time.

Montgomery County, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia also sold more volume, but each posted lower value. Montgomery County’s volume rose 1.8% while value fell 3.1%. Oregon gained 1.8% in volume and lost 0.1% in value. Pennsylvania was up 0.2% in volume and down 0.3% in value. Virginia increased 1.5% in volume but declined 1.2% in value.

Michigan saw the sharpest July decline among the larger markets, with volume down 10.5% to 760,155 cases and value down 11.3% to $177.21 million. Utah fell 7.4% in volume and 10.9% in value. Wyoming dropped 5.2% and 8.0%. Mississippi fell 4.9% and 6.6%, and Montana declined 2.9% and 9.3%. Some of the widest gaps between case growth and dollar growth appeared in North Carolina, Montana, Montgomery County, West Virginia, and Utah.

The rolling 12-month picture was weaker in dollar terms at the state level. None of the jurisdictions in NABCA’s table increased the value of their cumulative spirits sales. North Carolina and Montgomery County each raised volume 3.1%, but value fell 1.2% and 3.8%, respectively. Mississippi gained 2.2% in volume and lost 0.8% in value. Alabama rose 1.9% in volume and fell 0.9% in value. Pennsylvania was up 0.5% in volume and down 1.6% in value. Utah gained 0.4% in volume and declined 3.1% in value. Virginia was nearly flat on volume at -0.3% while value dropped 1.8%.

New Hampshire still showed negative rolling 12-month rates despite its strong July, with volume down 0.1% and value down 0.6%. Michigan posted 12-month declines of 3.1% in volume and 4.8% in value. Ohio fell 3.2% and 3.9%, Maine dropped 3.0% and 3.8%, and Oregon declined 2.3% and 3.8%. Idaho was one of the few markets where the dollar decline was smaller than the volume decline, with volume down 2.8% and value down 2.1%.

The on-premise channel showed the same split between units sold and revenue. Sales to bars, restaurants, and other establishments for on-site consumption rose 0.2% in July to 837,888 nine-liter cases, while value fell 2.5% to $196.11 million. Over the rolling 12 months, on-premise spirits volume increased 0.5% and value declined 1.7%, leaving a -2.2% price and mix effect.

North Carolina also led the on-premise results, with July volume up 12.5% and value up 2.1%. Utah gained 4.8% in volume and 2.7% in value. Alabama rose 3.1% and 1.5%. Idaho increased 0.9% and 1.0%, and Virginia gained 1.2% in volume and 0.3% in value. Montgomery County lifted on-premise volume 5.4% while value slipped 1.0%, and Pennsylvania rose 1.2% in cases but fell 0.8% in dollars.

Mississippi posted one of the sharpest on-premise declines, with volume down 22.3% and value down 20.5%. Michigan fell 7.8% in volume and 9.3% in value. Wyoming dropped 6.6% and 9.0%. New Hampshire, despite its strong overall performance, saw on-premise sales fall 1.9% in volume and 6.7% in value. Over the rolling 12 months, Alabama, Idaho, and North Carolina were the only on-premise markets in NABCA’s table to increase both volume and value.