US Spirits Retail Price Market Data Report 2026 for Liquor Retail & Brand Pricing Intelligence

Introduction

US spirits had an unusually strong run from 2019 to 2022, then stalled. Supplier revenue has now fallen two years in a row while case volume keeps edging up. That gap between value and volume is the clearest sign that price, mix and promotions now matter more than raw demand.

US spirits price data is the structured record of what spirits cost at retail in the United States – shelf price, promotional price, bottle size, price per 750 ml, category, price tier and stock status by store and state – tracked over time. It shows how brands and retailers respond to slower demand, tier shifts and tariffs.

This report combines published industry figures from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), NABCA control-state data, trade and e-commerce sources for 2019–2026. It then sets out the signals and metrics we recommend for liquor price monitoring. All third-party figures are cited; values that should come from a live dataset are shown as placeholders.

How did US spirits move from record growth to a value-led market?

US spirits supplier revenue rose from about US$29 billion in 2019 to a record US$37.7 billion in 2023, then fell to US$37.2 billion in 2024 and US$36.4 billion in 2025, according to DISCUS. Volume kept rising to 318.1 million 9-litre cases in 2025, so value per case is under pressure.

Revenue passed US$31 billion in 2020 and reached US$35.8 billion in 2021, up 12%. Growth slowed to 5.1% in 2022 and almost stopped in 2023 (+0.2%).

Since then, revenue and volume have moved in opposite directions. In 2025, revenue fell 2.2% while volume rose 1.9%. Spirits still gained share of total US alcohol revenue, reaching 42.4% in 2025 versus 42.2% in 2024. For pricing teams, that means consumers are still buying, but more cheaply or in different formats.

Note: the DISCUS 2019 overview deck confirms revenue of about US$29 billion (+5.3%); the 2019 volume figure is as reported by Wooden Cork's summary of the same briefing. URLs for every row are in the Sources list.

Which spirits categories are gaining or losing value?

In 2025, premixed cocktails including spirits-based RTDs were the standout, up 16.4% to US$3.8 billion. Vodka (US$7.0 billion, −3%), tequila/mezcal (US$6.4 billion, −4.1%), American whiskey (US$5.1 billion, −0.9%) and cordials (US$2.7 billion, −3.2%) all lost value, DISCUS reported.

The 2025 picture is a reversal for tequila. In 2023, DISCUS reported tequila/mezcal up 7.9% to US$6.5 billion and American whiskey up 3.8% to US$5.3 billion, while RTD cocktails grew 26.8% to US$2.8 billion. Two years later, tequila is shrinking in value and RTDs are still growing, though more slowly.

For RTD cocktails pricing, the shift matters because RTDs sell in multi-packs and single cans at very different price points to 750 ml bottles. Comparing them requires unit pricing (per serve or per litre of spirit) rather than pack price. Vodka, still the largest category by value, is where discount depth and private-label pressure are easiest to see.

Sources: DISCUS Annual Economic Briefing 2025 (5 February 2026); DISCUS release, 7 February 2024. Category definitions may differ slightly between years.

Is premiumisation still driving spirits retail pricing in 2026?

Premiumisation has paused rather than reversed. In 2024, the value tier grew 3.5% while super premium fell 5.6%, premium fell 0.9% and high-end premium was flat at +0.2%, Brewbound reported from DISCUS data. High-end tiers still made up about 59% of supplier revenue.

Higher-priced bottles still earn most of the money, but shoppers are trading down at the margin. A brand that holds price while rivals discount can lose volume quickly.

For spirits retail pricing 2026, the practical question is where each brand sits in its tier and how often it is promoted. Tier data from DISCUS covers supplier revenue, not retail shelf prices, so retail tier positioning has to be built from store-level price data.

Source: Brewbound, DISCUS: 2024 spirit sales flat, RTDs and tequila at vodka's heels (12 February 2025), https://www.brewbound.com/news/discus-2024-spirit-sales-flat-rtds-and-tequila-at-vodkas-heels. Retail columns are monitoring suggestions, not reported data.

How do control states differ from open states?

In 18 control states, the state or its agent controls wholesale or retail sale of spirits, so prices are often set or published centrally. In open (licence) states such as Florida, private retailers set prices and compete directly. Price monitoring needs different methods for each.

NABCA data for the 18 control states shows spirits value down 2.8% to US$13.21 billion in 2025, with volume down 1.4% to about 60.4 million 9-litre cases. TD Cowen estimates that these states make up 20–25% of the US spirits market (Just Drinks, https://www.just-drinks.com/newsletters/us-spirits-sales-down-again-in-2025-nabca). Control-state results are often used as an early read on national trends.

Florida is a large open market. According to Park Street, Florida is a licence state, levies an excise tax of US$6.50 per gallon on spirits between 17.259% and 55.78% ABV, and ranks second in US spirits consumption behind California (Park Street, https://www.parkstreet.com/states/florida/; data covers 2020–2022, page last modified March 2024). With private retailers competing on shelf price and promotions, liquor store competitor pricing in Florida changes far more often than in a control state.

Sources: Just Drinks, 30 January 2026; Park Street, Florida state page. Florida market value and volume are not published in these sources and should come from a live dataset.

For a retailer-level view in Florida and Texas, see our liquor price index covering selected chains: https://www.actowizsolutions.com/liquor-price-index-abc-fine-wine-spirits-specs-top-ten.php.

How are tariffs and exports adding price pressure?

US spirits exports fell 3.8% to US$2.37 billion in 2025, Just Drinks reported. Exports to Canada fell about 70%, from US$203 million to US$60 million, after Canadian provinces removed US spirits from shelves in March 2025. American whiskey exports to the EU fell 35% to US$454 million.

When brands lose shelf space overseas, more stock is available for the home market, which can push suppliers to promote harder in the US, especially in American whiskey.

Online is not offsetting the pressure either. IWSR data reported by Drinks Intel shows global alcohol e-commerce value fell 1% in 2024, with slower growth in the US and China, and forecasts a US online value CAGR of only about 2% for 2024–2029 (Drinks Intel, https://drinks-intel.com/?p=168340). Online prices still matter, because they are the easiest for shoppers and competitors to compare.

How should retailers and brands map spirits prices and promotions?

Map prices at SKU level, store by store, with bottle size normalised to price per 750 ml. Track shelf price, promotional price, promo type, stock status and price tier on a fixed cadence across chains, independents and online stores. This turns scattered listings into a consistent view of competitor pricing.

Start with a defined basket: leading brands in each category and tier, at the bottle sizes that matter most (750 ml, 1 L, 1.75 L), plus top RTD packs. Match each item by brand, expression, size and proof, so a 1.75 L vodka is never compared directly with a 750 ml bottle.

Then add location. Open-state retailers price by store or region, and online prices may differ from in-store prices. National chains such as Total Wine show regional differences; our Total Wine price data service is described here: https://www.actowizsolutions.com/total-wine-data-scraping-api-regional-pricing.php. Delivery apps add another layer of pricing and fees, covered in our liquor delivery data page: https://www.actowizsolutions.com/liquor-delivery-data-scraping.php.

How Actowiz Solutions Helps

• Retailer and state coverage – Actowiz collects publicly visible prices from online liquor stores, chain websites and delivery apps, by store or ZIP code, across open and control states (https://www.actowizsolutions.com/online-liquor-stores-price-intelligence-scraping.php).
• Product matching – SKUs are matched by brand, expression, bottle size and proof, and normalised to price per 750 ml or per serve for RTDs.
• Promotion capture – Shelf price, promo price, promo type (multi-buy, mix-and-match, member price) and promo dates are recorded on each check.
• Category and tier tagging – Each SKU is tagged to category and price tier so results can be read alongside DISCUS and NABCA trends.
• Flexible delivery – Data is delivered as CSV, Excel, JSON or API feeds, or as dashboards in Actowiz Metrics, on a daily or weekly cadence (https://www.actowizsolutions.com/wine-alcohol-price-data-intelligence-services.php).
• Responsible collection – Only public pages are collected, site terms are respected, no logins are bypassed and no personal data is collected. Age-gated pages are handled as permitted by each site.

Conclusion

US spirits have shifted from record growth to a value-led market. Supplier revenue fell in 2024 and 2025 while volume rose, the value tier outgrew premium tiers in 2024, RTD cocktails kept gaining, and tariffs cut exports to Canada and the EU. Control-state data shows the same softness. Each of these trends shows up first in shelf prices and promotions.

For spirits brands, liquor retailers, distributors and analysts, national figures set the context but do not show what a competitor charged last week in a given store. A matched, store-level price dataset – normalised per 750 ml, tagged by category and tier, and refreshed on a set cadence – fills that gap.

To get a sample of US spirits price data for your brands, categories or stores, contact us: https://www.actowizsolutions.com/contact-us.php

Frequently Asked Questions

What is US spirits price data?

It is structured data on retail spirits prices in the US: shelf price, promo price, bottle size, price per 750 ml, category, tier, stock status and location, tracked over time. Brands, retailers and distributors use it for competitor pricing, promotion analysis and tier positioning.

Are US spirits sales growing in 2026?

The latest full-year data shows decline in value. DISCUS reported 2025 supplier revenue down 2.2% to US$36.4 billion, while volume rose 1.9% to 318.1 million 9-litre cases. That points to trading down and promotions rather than falling demand.

How do control states affect liquor price monitoring?

In the 18 NABCA control states, prices are often set and published centrally, so monitoring focuses on price-list changes. In open states such as Florida, private retailers set prices, so store-level tracking is needed to see promotions and competitor moves.

How should RTD cocktails pricing be compared with bottled spirits?

Convert both to a common unit, such as price per serve or per litre of spirit. RTDs are sold as single cans and multi-packs, so pack price alone is misleading. DISCUS reported premixed cocktails up 16.4% to US$3.8 billion in 2025.

Can Actowiz track Total Wine price data by region?

Actowiz can collect publicly visible prices from retailer websites, including regional price differences where a site shows them by store. Collection follows each site's terms and covers public pages only.