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StateWays | www.stateways.com | July/August 2017 27 LEADING CORDIAL AND LIQUEUR BRANDS, 2014-2016 (000 9-Liter Cases) % Change Brand Supplier 2014 2015 2016p 15/'16 Fireball Sazerac 3,895 4,375 4,710 7.7% DeKuyper Beam Suntory 2,175 2,145 2,121 -1.1% Jagermeister Mast Jagermeister USA 1,935 1,847 1,750 -5.3% Baileys Diageo 1,300 1,287 1,270 -1.3% Southern Comfort Sazerac 1,072 1,010 1,000 -1.0% Kahlua Pernod Ricard USA 852 820 810 -1.2% Hiram Walker Cordials Pernod Ricard USA 786 759 726 -4.3% JD Tennessee Honey Brown-Forman Beverages 670 678 686 1.2% RumChata Agave Loco Brands 540 525 530 1.0% Grand Marnier Campari America 465 488 488 0.0% Total Leading Brands 13,690 13,934 14,091 1.1% Others 9,940 10,116 10,074 -0.4% Total Cordials & Liqueurs 23,630 24,050 24,165 0.5% (p) Preliminary. Source: The Beverage Information Group's 2017 Handbook Advance. For more data and analysis, visit www.BevInfoStore.com. A RISING TIDE Growth is positive for the category overall. The top 10 leading brands were up 1.1% in 2016, according to The Beverage In- formation Group's 2017 Handbook Advance. But performance varied widely. Some brands were on fi re—notably, Fireball (up 7.7%), while others showed more modest increases such as Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey (1.2%) and RumChata (1.0%). "RumChata continues to grow both domestically and inter- nationally and already makes up more than 16% of the cream liqueur category in the U.S., ranking it as the second best-selling cream liqueur," says Tom Maas, founder and master blender of RumChata. "Our Italian liqueur portfolio is one of the hottest in the in- dustry, consistently growing by double-digits year over year," says Melanie Batchelor, vice president of marketing for Campari America. Its portfolio includes classic brands Campari, Aperol, Cynar, Averna, Braulio and Frangelico. "Aperol is also seeing unbelievable growth in the US, consistently climbing at more than 30% growth month after month, according to Nielsen fi g- ures," Batchelor says. Campari also recently acquired Grand Marnier. "This classic liqueur is a high priority both globally and in the U.S., and we're leveraging Grand Marnier's broad consumer and bartender ap- peal to increase exposure to Campari America's other brands," she adds. "We see people shopping the cordial section a lot; that's a category where people will browse and explore," says Meru Bel- bayeva, co-owner and CEO of Downtown Spirits, a Seattle retail store. Big brands like Fireball and Jagermeister sell well, especially among the younger crowd. Other good sellers in the cordial aisle include Kahlua, Rum- Chata, Lillet, Char- treuse and Benedictine, as well as limoncellos and amaros. "St-Germain sells consistently—it is an item that is hard to replace. Grand Mar- nier does pretty well for us also, and Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao competes with that," Belbayeva adds. THIRST FOR THE NOVEL Many consumers today, especially the questing and curious Mil- lennials, are seeking out new taste experiences—and are discov- ering a treasure trove in cordials and liqueurs. "Consumers do not want to drink the same old, same old," Maas says. "We are witnessing consumers becoming increasingly more knowledgeable and seeking products with panache and dif- ferentiation and are willing to pay more for it, driving premi- umization in beverages," says Morgan Robbat, vice president of marketing for Anchor Distilling Company. The company's premium liqueur portfolio consists of Luxardo, Tempus Fugit, Briottet, The King's Ginger and The Genuine Curaçao. "The modern drinker is more educated these days and they appreciate natural fl avors along with some education, prov- enance and heritage in what they are consuming. Consumers