SINCE HITTING A PEAK IN 2015, THE AMERICAN BRANDY CATEGORY HAS FACED HEAD-winds, slowly ceding roughly half a million cases, settling at an estimated 7.03 million cases for 2021, according to Impact Databank. Although the category has seen its share of dif-ficulty in recent years, the major brands are holding firm, with some producers engaging the higher end alongside craft distilleries working to kickstart a once-vital American spirit. “American brandy has been receiving more attention in the on-premise over the last five years, and the activity around acquisitions, new brand introductions, and innovation within legacy players speaks to the opportunity this category represents,” says Meghan Murray, vice president of marketing at Phillips Distilling Co.
Though American brandies declined in 2021, returning to roughly the same place they were in 2019,…