The Drizly impact: Mezcal on the rise

An interesting report out from online alcohol retailer Drizly – Category on the Rise: Mezcal. It is no surprise that online sales of alcohol grew exponentially in 2020 with Drizly itself reporting exponential growth which we previously reported here. But this report looks at mezcal sales specifically which grew a whopping 600% year over year 2019 to 2020. What’s important to bear in mind with the report is that the 2020 sales growth benefited first and foremost from the pandemic, and secondly from a greater retail focus on the part of brands.

So, what do the numbers tell us? When you look at the top selling skus, they are in line with the overall sales in mezcal in 2020 – the cocktail mezcal category saw huge gains as people turned to home cocktail making. And what were those top selling mezcals on Drizly? In order:

1. Del Maguey Vida
2. Ilegal Joven 
3. Casamigos Joven
4. Dos Hombres Joven
5. El Silencio Espadin 
6. Banhez Mezcal 
7. Union Uno 
8. Del Maguey Chichicapa
9. Madre Mezcal 
10. Montelobos Joven

Was that enough to make up for the loss of sales from the on premise market? Well, that remains less clear. But other numbers from Drizly clearly indicate that mezcal is a top performing category on the platform. Sales were driven by the much sought after 28-34 year olds (37.8%) followed by 35-41 year olds (31%), again not a surprise as millennials have been driving online sales growth across all categories, from food delivery to clothing and beyond. Also not a surprise were the top performing markets – San Francisco, Oakland, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC and Austin – already strong mezcal markets prior to the pandemic and focus markets for Drizly. What is good to see is the growing offerings on Drizly, with more mezcal skus being added and in fact up 86%. Some of the fastest growing skus?

1. Wahaka Madre Cuishe
2. Yuu Baal Joven Pechuga
3. Fidencio Joven Clásico 
4. Gracias A Dios Gin
5. Alipus Santa Ana del Rio
6. Del Maguey Espadin Especial 
7. Rey Campero Tepextate 
8. El Silencio Espadin
9. Rey Campero Cuishe 
10. Madre Mezcal

Clearly people are moving beyond cocktail mezcal and that is a good thing for the mezcal category. Here is to further expanding mezcal offerings and introducing more people the incredible number of mezcals in the market. And if you want to shop your local stores, be sure to check out our Where to Buy Mezcal list — and let us know if you have any additional recommendations!