Flavored whiskies continue their steady growth after more than a decade of consistent gains. The category saw 17.92 million case depletions last year, and is projected to surpass 18 million cases in 2023. Whisk(e)y brands of all stripes are releasing new flavors, and while a few big players rule the category, strong demand for flavors overall is creating room for new entrants. 

Sazerac-owned Fireball ($15 a 750-ml.) remains the king of flavored whiskies, with volume crossing the 7 million-case mark, growing by 5.5%. Cinnamon-flavored Fireball was one of the original flavored whisky offerings when it appeared in 2001. The brand got its first line extension in 2021 as Sazerac began selling a malt-based version as a way to sell the flavored offering in supermarkets and c-stores. Packaged in 1.7- ounce ($1) and 12-ounce bottles ($8), the malt-based beverage has 16.5% abv, about half the level of the core brand. The release, however, has touched off a consumer lawsuit by shoppers who thought they were getting the real thing, and at press time the case was in litigation. 

Another favorite among flavored whisky drinkers is Diageo’s Crown Royal Regal Apple. The apple-flavored Canadian whisky is now at nearly 2 million cases and is part of a hefty portfolio of Crown Royal flavors (all $27 a 750-ml.)—including vanilla, peach, and salted caramel— that totaled more than 3.2 million cases in 2022. “Regal Apple continues to yield some of the strongest sales results among the Crown Royal family, as well as within the broader whisk(e)y category,” says Diageo North America senior vice president of North American whiskies Sophie Kelly. 

In addition to Regal Apple, Crown Royal’s Peach and Vanilla offerings are also big players. Crown Royal Peach surged forward 13.5% to reach 800,000 cases and Vanilla dipped 7.5% to 485,000 cases. While not quite as big as its sibling offerings, Crown Royal Salted Caramel also had a good year, though its final 2022 numbers were not available at press time. Retailer Mat Dinsmore of Wilbur’s Total Beverage in Fort Collins, Colorado notes that Crown Royal Salted Caramel sold particularly well at his store throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. “People lost their minds over it,” he says. “We couldn’t get enough.” 

In March 2021, Crown Royal entered the RTD space with a line of 7% abv canned whisky cocktails that includes riffs on its existing flavors, such as Washington Apple and Peach Tea RTDs ($13 a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans). Overall, Crown’s RTDs reached 1 million cases for 2022. 

Joining Fireball and Crown Royal among the top flavored whiskies is Brown-Forman’s Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey ($25 a 750-ml.) and its portfoliomate Tennessee Fire ($25). Last year was a challenging year for the brand’s flavored offerings, while No.-10 Tennesse Fire was up 4% to 370,000 cases, No-6 Tennessee Honey fell 6% to 746,000 cases and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple dropped 15%. “The flavored whisk(e)y category is large and incredibly dynamic, and is projected to take share from the North American whiskey category through 2025,” says Lisa Hunter, U.S. brand director for Jack Daniel’s flavors. “Jack Daniel’s flavors have outperformed many of our expectations.”

New Additions

One of the more recent standout entries in the flavored segment is Infinium Spirits’ Skrewball, a peanut butter whiskey that has commanded attention since its meteoric rise in 2019. Now the seventh-largest flavored whiskey in the U.S., Skrewball ($25 a 750-ml.) has seen strong growth, despite softening slightly for the first time last year, dropping 2.5% to 590,000 cases. “We’ve seen such healthy growth rates in a wide array of geographies and types of selling outlets across the U.S., and recently in Canada and the Caribbean as well,” says brand president Carl Carlson. Retailer Mark O’Callaghan of Exit 9 Wine & Liquor Warehouse in Clifton Park, New York says Skrewball was second only to Fireball at his store last year, surpassing long-time favorites in the flavored segment such as Crown Royal and Jack Daniel’s. O’Callaghan says the popularity of Skrewball is due in part to the traction of its new 100-ml. canned format.

Skrewball launched its first extension, a limited-edition Eggnog, in 2022. Skrewball Eggnog ($22 a 750-ml.) is bottled at 14.75% abv and is made with the brand’s peanut butter flavored whiskey and eggnog made with dairy cream. “Skrewball is known for breaking the mold, so we knew it was a natural next step to transform a seasonal classic and continue driving the flavored whisk(e)y category forward in unexpected ways,” Carlson says. “We’re confident that this limited-run spirit is going to make a splash in the industry and with consumers.”

Beam Suntory has the most individual brands among leading flavored whiskies in the U.S. with five under the Jim Beam Bourbon umbrella. While 2022 numbers weren’t available at press time, the portfolio (all $19 a 750-ml.) faced headwinds in 2021, with all five labels declining. The largest, Jim Beam Apple, was at 375,000 cases, followed by Jim Beam Honey at 362,000, Red Stag at 324,000, Jim Beam Peach at 262,000 cases, and Jim Beam Vanilla at 195, 000 cases.

Campari America and Heaven Hill Brands also have notable flavored whiskey portfolios. The larger of the two, Campari America’s Wild Turkey American Honey ($25 a 750-ml.), softened last year after a streak of consistent growth, falling 1% to 485,000 cases. Heaven Hill’s Evan Williams Flavored Reserves—comprised of Honey, Apple, Cherry, Peach, and Fire (cinnamon), plus bottled Egg Nog and Spiced Cider cocktails ($11-$16)—were up 2.6% to 329,000 cases.

Enter Innovation

Despite the mixed results of leading flavored whiskies in the U.S. in the past few years, companies continue to innovate and enter the category. A notable release is last year’s Jameson Orange, the Pernod Ricard brand’s most successful innovation in the last five years, according to North America chairman and CEO Ann Mukherjee. In its first year on the market, Jameson Orange ($32 a 750-ml.) depleted 215,000 cases, far surpassing its portfoliomate, Jameson Cold Brew ($32), which declined a staggering 48.6% to 29,000 cases in 2022. Jameson Orange is made with Jameson and natural orange flavor, has 30% abv, and is suggested to be consumed neat, on-the-rocks, or in mixed drinks. 

Pernod Ricard entered the RTD category in March of 2022 with the release of Jameson Ginger and Lime, a pre-mixed cocktail served in 12-ounce cans ($13 a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans). The brand later expanded the line to include Jameson Cola and Jameson Lemonade, which both clock in at 5% abv compared to 6% abv for Jameson Ginger & Lime. 

“I think people have really been looking to experiment a little more, especially with cocktail making on the rise,” says Wilbur’s Dinsmore in response to continued popularity of flavored whiskies. “People are turning to flavored whiskies, liqueurs, and vodkas to make cocktails. People are experimenting with flavors in their cocktail making, and I think we’re bound to see more of that as new flavors come out.”

In Tennessee, Ole Smoky’s vast portfolio of flavored moonshines and whiskeys had a monumental year in 2022, crossing the million-case mark for its flavored offerings on 36.1% growth. Ole Smoky has nearly 30 flavors of moonshine as well as nearly 20 flavors of whiskey (including seasonal releases and distillery exclusives), with Peanut Butter and Salty Caramel as top performing whiskeys in 2021, and Salty Watermelon and Mango Habanero as notable up-and-coming releases.

Despite the vast portfolio, Ole Smoky continues to innovate, adding new flavors and formats to draw in new fans. Last summer, the distillery released new 50-ml. jars for its Sour Watermelon and Sour Razzin’ Berry moonshines (both at 20% abv), as well as launching the latest of its jarred fruit tie-ins. Following such installments as Moonshine Cherries and Moonshine Pickles, the newest release is Moonshine Pineapples with Piña Colada.

Experimentation is the name of the game when it comes to flavored whisk(e)y, as many consumers enter the overall whisk(e)y category for the first time through a flavor expression and a more approachable way to drink the spirit. “Flavors are an opportunity to welcome new consumers into the American whiskey category,” says Julie Cole, senior brand manager for Evan Williams at Heaven Hill Brands. “We’re seeing consumers enter from flavored vodka, Tequila, and rums; however, there’s also occasion-based opportunities for all levels of American whiskey fans.”

Indeed, the flavored segment is reaching out to an entirely new demographic of consumers, many of whom skew younger than the traditional whisk(e)y drinker, notes Jack Daniel’s Hunter. “The flavored whisk(e)y consumer is younger, more multicultural, and more urban than the traditional whisk(e)y drinker,” says Hunter. “We’re really targeting the next generation of beverage alcohol consumers with these brands.” 

Jameson senior brand director Kelly Suhr says flavors can stretch a brand’s reach. “Consumers have embraced flavored whiskies as a fun way to explore the whisk(e)y category as a whole,” she says. “We’re seeing a high demand for flavored whiskies from curious spirits drinkers and non-whisk(e)y drinkers alike, making this a $1 billion-plus segment that is driving growth for the whisk(e)y category overall.”