Park Street Companies has teamed with the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and the International Wine and Spirits Research group (IWSR) to develop and release the first annual Craft Spirits Data Project.
KEY FINDINGS AND HIGHLIGHTS
- As of August 2016, there were 1,315 craft distillers active in the U.S.
- The craft distilling industry reached 4.9 million cases sold totaling over $2.4 billion in retail sales in 2015, growing at a CAGR of 27.4% in volume and 27.9% in value between 2010 and 2015.
- The market share of U.S. craft spirits reached 2.2% in volume and 3.0% in value in 2015, up from 0.8% (volume) and 1.1% (value) in 2010.
- Exports of U.S. craft spirits reached 523,000 cases in 2015, adding more than 10% of additional volume to U.S. craft distillers total sales.
- The U.S. craft distilling market is fairly concentrated with 2% of larger producers being responsible for more than 60% of the cases sold. 91.7% of U.S. craft producers are classified as small producers, who are responsible for just 12.1% of the cases sold annually.
- On-site direct sales are especially important for smaller brands, making up 25% of total sales while out of state sales are particularly important for large producers, making up more than 61% of the total business.
- Investments by the U.S. craft industry have reached close to $300 million in 2015.
Click here to download the 2016 Craft Spirits Data Report
PROJECT BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY
The Craft Spirits Data Project 2016 is a proprietary research project whose goal is to provide a solid and reliable fact base for evaluating performance and trends in the U.S. craft spirits industry. The Craft Spirits Data Project, which was first announced and presented in 2016, is the beverage industry’s first-ever comprehensive craft distilling study. The Project quantifies the number, size, and impact of craft spirits producers in the United States.
Together, the ACSA, Park Street, and the IWSR launched the Craft Spirits Data Project in October, 2015. Data collection began in October of 2015 and continued through September of 2016. While some surveys are ongoing all data collected through August was used for analysis. The Project collected data primarily from spirits producers (DSPs), distributors and retailers.
The program aims to create a deeper understanding of the U.S. craft spirits landscape among three key groups: DSPs, distributors and retailers. The study collected comprehensive data on craft distiller production size and patterns, sources of revenue, and the category’s overall economic impact within the spirits industry. The Project also collected data on craft spirits business size, patterns and outlook on the distributor level and assessed craft spirits business size and outlook by premise type at retail.
When estimating the number of producers behind the U.S. craft spirits production, the project team relies on a combination of official data released by regulatory authorities, survey data, other industry data sources both national (e.g., NABCA, ACSA) and regional (e.g., Guilds), as well as interviews and team assessments using the craft distiller definition.