Small Spirits Categories Show Big Growth in 2018

In 2018, total spirits sales were up 3.1% and volumes were up 1.2% in all Nielsen-measured channels. Whiskey sales were up 5.3% and volumes were up 3.1% for the year. Japanese whisky (up 28.7%), Irish whiskey (up 12.5%) and rye (up nearly 14%) reported the fastest growth rates within the category. Though Japanese whiskey is growing off of a much smaller base. Mezcal is another strong but small category, with sales up 36.7% and volumes up 25.5% in 2018. Its