Tequila volume in U.S. control states rose 9.5% in September

Tequila sales rose sharply by volume in U.S. control states in September, but the category still lost ground by value over the full 12-month period, according to National Alcohol Beverage Control Association data reviewed from the group’s September and August tables.

NABCA reported that control jurisdictions sold 600,260 nine-liter equivalent cases of tequila in September, up 9.5% from a year earlier. Retail sales value reached $199.18 million, a 4.6% increase from September 2025.

The monthly figures showed stronger gains in cases than in dollars, a pattern that also appeared in the longer-term data. For the 12 months ended in September, tequila volume in the control-state system increased 3.0% from the previous 12-month period, while sales value fell 1.3%.

That gap suggests the mix of products sold in the category changed in a way that lifted case sales more than revenue. It does not by itself show that tequila prices fell evenly across the market.

Compared with August, tequila sales in the control states increased by 7,812 nine-liter cases in September. But retail value declined by $2.20 million from the prior month, another sign that higher shipment volume did not translate into stronger dollar performance.

The NABCA data cover U.S. jurisdictions where state agencies control alcohol distribution or retailing. Those states do not represent the entire national market, but they provide a closely watched view of category trends. NABCA tracks tequila separately from ready-to-drink cocktails, so the tequila figures do not include canned tequila-based mixed drinks or other prepared cocktail products.

The September comparison also benefited from the calendar. Labor Day fell on September 7 in 2026, compared with September 1 in 2025. That later holiday pushed more seasonal selling activity into September this year, helping year-over-year growth across control-state spirits categories. Shanken News Daily, which cited the broader NABCA report on Monday, November 2, said total spirits volume in control states rose 3.2% in September and dollar sales increased 1.4%, aided by the later Labor Day.

Within that broader spirits backdrop, tequila was one of the categories that posted gains for the month. But the tequila data also showed that September’s improvement was not enough to reverse the category’s weaker dollar trend over the trailing 12 months.

That distinction matters because value and volume can move in different directions for several reasons. A category can sell more cases while bringing in less revenue if consumers shift toward lower-priced brands, buy different package sizes, or reduce purchases of higher-end products. Promotions and channel mix can also affect the relationship between cases sold and total sales value.

The control-state numbers do not, on their own, identify which of those factors drove tequila’s performance. What they do show is that the category’s September rebound in dollar sales was narrower than its increase in physical volume, and that the same imbalance persisted over the 12-month period ended in September.

NABCA dated its September report October 30. The figures cited here were checked against the original NABCA category tables for September and August.

The latest results add to a mixed picture for spirits in the control-state market. Tequila remained a growth category by volume in September and over the trailing year, but the slower pace of dollar gains in the month, and the outright decline in value over 12 months, pointed to pressure on revenue even as consumers continued to buy more cases.