DISCUS says its export program helped U.S. craft distillers secure $18.5 million in new overseas sales since 2024

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said Tuesday that its export promotion program has helped U.S. craft distillers secure at least $18.5 million in new overseas sales since 2024, as the trade group highlighted a recent business mission to Poland and Germany aimed at widening access to European buyers.

The figure was released by DISCUS, the national trade association for producers and marketers of distilled spirits sold in the United States, in an update on its work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program. The group said the sales total reflects business attributed to its export program since 2024 and is not limited to the most recent Europe trip. DISCUS did not provide an independent audit of the total, and its statement did not include shipment volumes, profitability or a country-by-country breakdown of the new sales.

The announcement came after a series of trade promotion events held last week in Warsaw and Berlin. DISCUS said the effort was designed to help American distillers, especially small and midsize companies, meet importers, distributors, retailers and hospitality buyers in two important European markets.

In Poland, U.S. producers took part in a trade tasting in Warsaw with importers and other drinks industry contacts from Poland and neighboring markets, according to the organization. The delegation also attended a market briefing with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and visited stores to study pricing, product placement and consumer offerings on the ground. DISCUS also organized a reception at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Poland, where American producers met members of the diplomatic community and executives from Poland’s premium spirits market.

The group then moved to Germany for Bar Convent Berlin, a major annual trade event for the international bar and spirits business. DISCUS said it hosted a shared booth for participating U.S. brands during the three-day event and arranged a media breakfast before the show opened. The association said this was its 12th appearance at the Berlin gathering in 13 years, which it described as part of a long-term effort to build the presence of American spirits in Europe.

Robert Maron, DISCUS senior vice president for international trade policy and market access, said in the statement that trade promotion has become more important as U.S. distillers face uncertainty in global markets. His comments pointed to the practical aim of the program: turning product exposure and buyer introductions into export orders.

The Poland and Germany delegation included a mix of large and smaller producers. DISCUS said participants included Brown-Forman, Campari, Suntory, Middle West Spirits, Ole Smoky, Southern Distilling Company, Virginia Distillery Company, Arizona Distilling Company, BroVo Spirits, Bitter End Bitters and several other suppliers and brand representatives. The group was also joined by Michael Bilello, president and chief executive of the American Whiskey Association.

The organization framed the latest mission against the broader importance of Europe to the U.S. spirits business. DISCUS said the European Union was the largest export market for U.S. distilled spirits in 2025, with about $1.2 billion in shipments, or roughly half of all U.S. spirits exports that year. It also said U.S. spirits exports to the EU have risen nearly 600% over the past 30 years.

DISCUS has worked with the USDA under the Market Access Program since 2006. The federal program supports overseas marketing activities for U.S. agricultural products, including food and beverages, by helping industry groups and companies fund promotions in foreign markets. DISCUS said its partnership with the USDA has included spirits promotions in more than 20 countries and that, over the same period, total U.S. spirits exports increased from $831 million in 2006 to $2.37 billion in 2025.

The association also said its program has supported more than 45 U.S. distilleries over the past three years. That support has included organized tastings, trade fair participation, market briefings and meetings with foreign buyers and distributors. For smaller distilleries that often lack large export teams or overseas sales networks, those contacts can be a key part of entering a new market.

Still, the $18.5 million figure should be read as a measure reported by the promoting organization itself rather than an independently verified industry benchmark. DISCUS did not explain in the statement how it assigns sales directly to the program, how much time passed between a trade event and a completed export deal, or what share of those sales came from repeat orders rather than first-time purchases. It also did not disclose whether the total refers only to craft producers, although the statement said the program had directly resulted in U.S. craft distillers securing at least that amount in new exports.

The update arrives as U.S. spirits makers continue to look abroad for growth even as they face shifting trade conditions, currency pressures and competition from established local and international brands. Europe remains one of the most developed and visible markets for American whiskey, bourbon and other U.S. spirits, but building distribution there often requires long-term relationships with importers, on-premise buyers and specialty retailers.

By tying its latest sales claim to the Poland and Germany mission, DISCUS is making the case that federally supported trade promotion can produce measurable export gains for distillers that might otherwise struggle to reach foreign buyers. What the statement establishes clearly is that the group sees Europe, and particularly the EU, as central to the next phase of growth for U.S. spirits exports, while also using the latest mission to show how those efforts are being carried out in practice.