Every year since 2016 we’ve taken a deep dive into the data behind Distiller to share the year’s trends. This year was unlike anything any of us have ever experienced before. It was hard to know how everything going on within the United States and around the world would affect the behavior of spirits consumers. What types of products were people gravitating towards once they were stuck at home? Did Distiller users create more or less content now that bars were closed? What we found mind surprise you. Let’s dive in to the data behind Distiller in 2020.
The United States in 2020
Every year millions of people come through the Distiller platform to discover spirits, create lists and record Tastes. Over the past few years there have been clear trends across the United States where new products come to market and take huge swaths of the country by storm. Backed by huge marketing campaigns, these products have dominated the map. A few years ago Suntory Whisky Toki was the top spirit in the vast majority of states. Last year, Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey took the top spot. And this year, while we’re all locked inside due to COVID-19 with no access to bars and restaurants, what spirit dominated the map?
The answer: Not a single one.
Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey only remained the top spirit in one state. Now, in a huge number of states the most popular spirits were local. The orange states below represent states where the top spirit is produced in that state.
Interestingly, several states, including California, saw an agave spirit take the top spot for the first time ever. COVID-19 forced us all indoors and disrupted product rollouts and marketing campaigns. Without huge pushes, no single leader emerged ahead of the pack.
(Click map for full size)
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What’s Popular Abroad?
Outside of the United States we also look at the top 12 markets for Distiller every year. While some countries remained in their previous spots, others broke into the top 12 for the first time. India cracked the top 4 while China and South Africa jumped the line to made their way into the top 12 for the first time ever.
Just as with the United States, there was no clear domination of international markets by a single product. Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey remained the top spirit in Australia, Ireland and The Netherlands, but Germany, China, Sweden, France and South Africa all saw new spirits take the top spot this year.
Wayne Gretzky, The Great One, still held on to the top spot in Canada, while FirstWatch Whisky, a Canadian whisky only available in South Africa, took the top spot in that country.
2020 By The Numbers
In a year where we were all forced to stay home due to the pandemic, interest in spirits didn’t subside. Every year at Distiller even more people visit our platform. This year over 3.5 million unique individuals used Distiller, and more than 225,000 unique Tastes were created. Users also created more than 6,500 new spirits pages in our database.
Every year we also like to take a look at other countries around the world where Distiller users come from. While we may not have hundreds of thousands of users in these countries, there are small groups of folks learning more about the spirits that matter to them.
What’s Popular In…
Malaysia: Tanqueray Malacca Gin
Czech Republic: Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey
Hong Kong: Monkey 47 Dry Gin
Greece: Talisker 10 Year
Argentina: Buchanan’s DeLuxe 12 Year
Monaco: Hibiki 21 Year
Jersey: Darnley’s View London Dry Gin
Lebanon: Ksara Vieille Eau-de-Vie
Romania: The Glenlivet 18 Year
The Most Viewed Spirits Worldwide In 2020
While we’ve taken a look at which spirits received the most views by state and country, we haven’t yet shared which spirits drew the most views across the entire world. This year Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey held on to its top spot, and Blanton’s moved from #3 to #2 as availability dwindled and demand increased. In total, the group includes one Irish whiskey, three bourbons and a gin. Not a bad lineup.
#1 – Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey
#2 – Blanton’s Original Single Barrel
#3 – Eagle Rare 10 Year
#5 – Monkey 47 Dry Gin
That’s it for the look back at Distiller in 2020. From all of us here at Distiller we hope you and yours are safe, healthy and happy this holiday season.
Cheers!
Did you sip any of the top spirits from Distiller in 2020?
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