Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are gaining fans outside of America. Mirroring their revenue and volume gains from 2013, domestic volume increased by 7.4 percent in 2014 with international exports expected to top $1.02 billion, according to ABC News. Based on the Distilled Spirits Council’s findings, Canada is projected to be the biggest market for bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and France.
Eric Gregory of the Kentucky Distillers Association believes that the “golden age” of Kentucky bourbon is near: “This is a renaissance we haven’t seen in generations, and possibly in the entire history of our signature spirit.” The council’s senior vice president for international trade, Christine LoCascio, attributed this growth to new international audiences and emerging markets.
No doubt the resurgence of cocktail culture has helped to boost the steady growth of not only bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, but all American-made spirits. Based on the council’s reports, the total U.S. volume growth of all spirits has increased by 2.2 percent to 210 million cases. [ABC News][Photo: Flickr/cookbookman17]