Vodka dethroned as top-selling alcohol in the US. What took its spot?

Janet Patton, Lexington Herald-Leader on Feb 6, 2026

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Does your favorite cocktail these days come in a can?

In a real twist on cocktail culture, ready-to-drink cocktails, or RTDs, are now the top-selling American spirit by volume.

According to new data released by the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., in 2025 Americans bought 85.6 million 9-liter cases of RTDs, up 17.1% from the year before.

For the first time, they bested perennial favorite vodka, which sold 72.5 million cases, down 2.2%.

RTDs are pre-mixed cocktails, often sold in cans, made with spirits as well as wine-based and malt-based drinks.

Malt-based RTDs such as White Claw and Truly, and other drinks like Twisted Tea and Smirnoff Ice still dominate, with more than 77% of sales. But wine-based drinks have grown to 4% of all RTD sales, and and spirits-based RTDs now account for 19% of the market.

Popular spirits-based RTDs such as Cutwater, Surfside, High Noon vodka sodas, Brown-Forman-owned Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola, Sazerac-owned BuzzBallz Cocktails and wine-based BuzzBalls Chillers have more doubled their market share since 2021.

RTD sales have been rising rapidly, quadrupling in volume since 2020, and have become an appealing lower cost option for many consumers, said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.

“While total U.S. spirits sales edged down 2.2% in 2025, the spirits industry remains resilient, driven by innovative products that continue to spark consumer interest,” Swonger said. “Against a challenging backdrop of weakening consumer confidence and persistent economic pressures, American adults continue to choose distilled spirits, with ready-to-drink cocktails standing out as a clear favorite.”

More than $3.8 billion in RTDs were sold last year, the spirits council reported.

Based on total revenue, vodka is still the leader, with $7 billion in sales in 2025, followed by tequila/mezcal at $6.4 billion and American whiskey at $5.1 billion. All the other categories saw sales shrink in 2025, and the spirits industry as a whole lost more than 2.2% of sales.

The plunge would have been even steeper if not mitigated by RTD growth.

In July 2025, Surfside, a cult canned iced tea and vodka beverage, became the fastest-growing alcohol brand in America. The brand said it expected to sell 12 million cases in 2025.

And look for more growth as other companies, including premium bourbon makers look to get into the category. Last year, Yellowstone launched a “ready-to-pour” line of cocktails including an espresso martini made with their bourbon.

And Lofted Spirits’ Bardstown Bourbon Co. last year added a line of bottled cocktails.