Rye Whiskey up 536% since 2009

News

August 4, 2015

Rye’s resurgence continues.

According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, since 2009, rye whiskey volumes have grown 536% from 88,000 9-liter cases to over a half million cases (561,000) in 2014.

DISCUS says that translates into a 609% jump from slightly over $15 million in supplier revenues in 2009 to over $106 million in 2014. That’s approximately $300 million in retail sales, DISCUS says.

“The growth of Rye whiskey has been phenomenal, given that as late as 2000, Rye volumes were virtually nonexistent with only a handful of brands in the U.S. market,” said David Ozgo, Distilled Spirits Council Chief Economist, in a press release. “By 2014, there were over 100 brands, and the sheer numbers tell the story.  While it still represents a small share of the overall American whiskey category, its growth is skyrocketing.”

DISCUS credits the rye growth to classic cocktails, historic connections to the spirit, and the general interest in American whiskey, where bourbon and Tennessee whiskey grew 28.5% and revenues rose 46.7% from 2009 to 2014.

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