How whiskey defeated vodka in the battle for American hearts and wallets - Quartz:
After years of growth in the United States, vodka is slowing down. For the first time since the clear spirit took the sales crown in 2007, whiskey is projected to pass it this year, and widen the gap for years to come. It doesn’t appear to be a passing trend, but a serious and long-term shift in American consumer preferences. Vodka is still the volume king, meaning that more gallons of the stuff get sold every year, and that will continue some time at least. But in dollar value, whiskey has made a big comeback ...
Vodka managed to gain ubiquity in part because it’s inoffensive and inexpensive. It was a particular favorite of the baby-boomer generation and popular in the 1980s, as it wooed a premium market with fancy bottles and sophisticated marketing. Imported brands became lucrative. When that growth plateaued, flavored vodkas provided a big, but short-lived gain.
Whiskey, however, is reaping the benefits of a trend towards the more local, authentic, and “natural.” It can command high prices, in part because of its history and in part because it’s just more interesting and varied than vodka. (Prices are up also because of a simple surge in demand for high-end bourbon.) Finally, it’s just beginning to catch on to some of the marketing tricks that propelled vodka in the first place.
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