The Shadow
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. (VR) – Virginians spoke loud and clear in fiscal year 2024—Tito’s Handmade Vodka is the most popular spirit in the state for the seventh straight year.
Tito’s garnered $75 million in sales at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) stores in the fiscal year, an increase of $3 million from fiscal year 2023. The vodka’s sales almost doubled the amount of the second-most popular spirit, Hennessy VS, which sold over $38 million. Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 was third with $28 million, Patron Silver was fourth with $25 million and Jim Beam rounded out the top five with $23 million.
Jameson Irish ($20 million), Lunazul Blanco ($19.4 million), Maker’s Mark ($19.2 million), Grey Goose ($18 million) and Crown Royal ($17 million) rounded out the top 10.
Best-Selling Products
Among the top 50 products, the biggest movers of the year were tequilas. Lunazul Blanco rose to seventh from 10th in fiscal year 2023 with $19.4 million in sales. Teremana Blanco garnered $9.8 million in sales to jump from 43rd to 25th; Teremana Reposado posted $9.1 million to leap up from 42nd to 27th and Lunazul Reposado raked in $8.8 million to rise from 45th to 28th.
D’Usse VSOP experienced the largest decline among the top 50 products by percentage, with its $6.6 million falling 20.2%, or $1.6 million, short of its fiscal year 2023 performance. It ranked 39th in fiscal year 2024, down from 28th. Fireball fell to 17th after a $2.08 million fall from 14th and Casamigos Blanco fell to 14th from 11th after a $2.2 million shortfall from fiscal year 2023 sales.
Best-Selling Categories
Virginia ABC’s best-selling categories remained steady from fiscal year 2023. Vodka had the most cases sold with 1.6 million, followed by tequila at 996,000 and straight bourbon whiskey in third with 814,000. Cordials (537,000) and rum (437,000) rounded out the top five.
Tequila was the fastest-growing category by cases sold for the second straight year, with a 12.4% growth. Domestic cordials grew at a 7.6% rate, while straight rye whiskey saw a 4.9% growth.
*Sloe gin grew 18.4% but is Virginia ABC’s smallest category, at only 167 cases sold.
Virginia-Made Products
Virginia ABC is proud to offer nearly 300 Virginia-distilled spirits. Sales of Virginia-distilled spirits grew to $25.8M in sales, with more than one million bottles sold for the second consecutive year.
The top-sellers in this category were Bowman Brothers Virginia Straight Bourbon ($2.2M), John J. Bowman Virginia Straight Bourbon ($1.1M), Isaac Bowman Port Finish Whiskey ($619,572) and Cirrus Vodka’s size extensions of 750 mL ($490,955) and 1L ($432,535).
Top Stores
Virginia ABC opened five new stores in FY24, including the authority’s 400th store, located in Jonesville. The top five stores by gallons sold were Store 256 in Virginia Beach (108,681), Store 219 in Fairfax (106,587), Store 331 in Short Pump (89,882), Store 278 in Virginia Beach (89,498) and Store 280 in Chesapeake (89,283).
