With only a few days left in 2017, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at the year by digging into the data behind Distiller. We did the same thing last year, and back then we thought we’d had a crazy year. If 2016 was crazy, 2017 was totally insane. With your help, Distiller is growing at a break neck pace with no signs of slowing down. Thank you to everyone who has visited Distiller this year, left tasting notes, ratings, and shared your love of spirits with your friends and family through our platform.
Alright, that’s enough hemming and hawing, let’s take a look at what happened in 2017!
The United States
Toki on the Rise
Just like last year, the United States of America is our largest market, although some countries around the world are growing rapidly. More on that later. When we dug into the most viewed spirits in 2017 by state, we found some interesting things. First of all, Suntory Whisky Toki continued it’s advance across America. Last year it was the most viewed spirit in 11 states. This year it was the most viewed spirit in 19 states.
Missing from the map this year is Crown Royal Noble Collection Cornerstone Blend. Last year it dominated a huge swath of the south and parts of the midwest. Where Toki expanded, Cornerstone Blend simply faded away. While Toki can be found nearly everywhere these days, Cornerstone Blend was a limited edition release and it’s starting to disappear from shelves. It’s no wonder that views have gone down as availability has dwindled.
Most Viewed Spirits By State in 2017
Newcomers
Interestingly Hell-Cat Maggie Irish Whiskey, distilled at the famed Cooley Distillery in Ireland and bottled in the United States, was the most viewed spirit in four different states. Time will tell if this trend continues.
Unsurprisingly the always-popular W.L. Weller Special Reserve Bourbon had a strong showing. Where it was only the most popular spirit in Georgia last year, it’s surged to gain the top spot in several southern states including Kentucky. Perhaps their re-branding from last year helped spark a new level of interest, although they’ve always been fan favorites.
Did you happen to notice what’s going on up in New Hampshire? That’s right, for the first time in Distiller history a non-whiskey spirit has landed on top as one of the most popular spirits in a state. It is interesting that Casamigos Blanco Tequila was the one to do it. What has George Clooney been up to?
The International Drinkers
While the United States is still Distiller’s biggest market, we’re growing internationally in a big way. India is now in our Top 5 international countries, and Mexico and Hong Kong also broke into the top 12.
It’s exciting to see that the brand new Canadian release from Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery, the Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Red Cask Whisky, generated so much interest this year in Canada. Perhaps it’s no surprise that when The Great One releases not one, but three whiskies in one year, people pay attention.
With the Suntory Whisky Toki dominating the United States, it’s interesting to see another of their whiskies doing so well internationally. Suntory The Chita Single Grain was the most viewed spirit in five of our top 12 international countries.
Since it seems to be the year of Suntory, they also grabbed the top spot in Germany not with a whisky but with a gin, Suntory Roku Gin to be precise.
Most Viewed Spirits By Country in 2017
2017 By The Numbers
Distiller has absolutely exploded this year. 2016 saw the beginning of a long period of growth, 2017 was something else entirely. Every month this year has been our new best month ever in terms of unique monthly users. Millions of people used Distiller in 2017, and hundreds of thousands of unique people use the platform every month. Those aren’t the only big numbers we’re proud of!
How many spirits searches? Over 17 Million!
How many spirits added to lists? Over 315,000!
How many Notes and Ratings added? Over 150,000!
So which spirits took home the top spots across our entire platform? Let’s take a look!
The Most Viewed Spirits of 2017
These three spirits were viewed more than any others from users all around the world this year.
#1 – Suntory Whisky Toki
#2 – Suntory The Chita Single Grain
#3 – Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Red Cask Whisky
Yet again the Suntory Whisky Toki takes home the top spot, and with a pretty wide margin we should add. Shockingly Suntory also grabbed the second spot with the Chita Single Grain. And then there’s the brand new 2017 release from the Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery. These three spirits alone were responsible for nearly 150,000 unique spirit page views.
The Most Added To User Lists in 2017
These three spirits were added to more user lists than any others from users all around the world this year.
#1 – Lagavulin 16 Year
#2 – Blanton’s Original Single Barrel
#3 – Eagle Rare 10 Year
A brand new set of winners in this category, but none of these are terribly surprising as they’re all widely available, highly rated, and regularly trending in Distiller.
The Most Tasted Spirits in 2017
These three spirits received more user tasting notes than any others from users all around the world this year.
#1 – Lagavulin 16 Year
#2 – Laphroaig 10 Year
#3 – Eagle Rare 10 Year
On to 2018!
This year we saw huge amounts of international growth, non-whiskey spirits gaining momentum, and the seemingly unstoppable march of Suntory Whisky Toki in Distiller. Will they keep the top spot in 2018, or will some new and exciting release in 2018 come along to unseat them?
No matter what, we can’t wait to spend 2018 with you all as Distiller continues to grow in huge and exciting ways. We have some really big things in the pipeline that you’ve all been asking for and we can’t wait to release.
I hope you’ve had a toast-worthy 2017, and that you have an even better 2018. Happy Holidays, and a wonderful new years to you and yours.
Cheers everyone!
Want to talk to me about Distiller? Want us to help us make Distiller better, or you just have some ideas? I’d love to hear from you! Shoot me an email.
Mikael Mossberg is the Co-Founder & CEO of Distiller.
With Distiller, you’ll always know what’s in the bottle before you spend a cent. Rate, Review, and Discover spirits! Head on over to Distiller, or download the app for iOS and Android today!
