Drizly’s July sales were driven by summer trends, from the traditional — like light lagers and canned formats — to the new — like non-alcoholic spirits and añejo tequila. Explore Fourth of July favorites, the growing potential for upstate New York markets, and more with these five insights from Drizly’s July 2021 sales.

July’s Fastest-Growing Subcategories

Though light lager has experienced diminishing share due to hard seltzer’s wild popularity, it was one of the fastest-growing year over year subcategories in July, rising from 17.7 percent of beer share in July 2020 to 20.4 percent of share in July 2021. “This suggests consumer interest in the beer subcategory is on the rise, even more so than the typical seasonal gains seen last summer,” says Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights.

Fruit wine was one of the fastest-growing wine subcategories year-over-year, driven by Stella Rosa and its peach, blueberry, and black cherry flavors. While non-alcoholic spirits comprise the smallest of the non-alcoholic subcategories on Drizly, they have seen significant year-over-year gains led by top brand Seedlip. “Seedlip has been a key driver of bringing non-alcoholic spirits mainstream, particularly due to their acquisition by Diageo which drove national distribution as well as brand awareness,” says Paquette.

Fourth of July Insights

Drizly consumers were ready to celebrate over the Fourth of July weekend (July 2 to 5), with sales spiking on Sunday, July 4 when they reached levels 27 percent higher than the average of the previous four Sundays. Over the long weekend, liquor, beer, and extras saw the biggest year-over-year share gains, while wine lost four percentage points, though it still held the second-largest share at 31 percent.

Ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails drove liquor’s year-over-year share gain of one percentage point, with RTDs growing to seven percent share of liquor sales versus five percent last year. Top brands include High Noon, Cutwater, and On the Rocks. Tequila and liqueurs, cordials, and schnapps also experienced year-over-year growth. As in previous years, hard seltzer and light lager led the beer category, holding 28 percent and 21 percent of share, respectively. White Claw, Corona, and Bud Light were the top-selling beer brands (as they were last year), but Truly overtook Coors as the No. 4 beer brand this year.

Within the wine category, Champagne and sparkling wine experienced year-over-year growth, holding 24 percent of share versus 20 percent last year. White wine and rosé were both up in share over June but experienced year-over-year share losses over the long weekend due to the sparkling wine category’s growth.

Summer Product Breakouts

Within the spirits category, rising tequila brand Dos Artes experienced exceptional year-over-year growth, driven by its Especial Extra Añejo and Añejo SKUs. Behind new mainstay McBride Sisters, Freemark Abbey was the second-fastest growing wine brand year-over-year, led by their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. In the beer category, Threes Brewing from Brooklyn, New York led brand growth in July, spurred by their Logical Conclusion IPA and Vliet Pilsner.

Market Insights: Watertown, New York

Located in upstate New York near Lake Ontario, Watertown’s year-over-year growth represents the overall growth that upstate New York has experienced as more retailers become Drizly partners. Overall, the demographics of Watertown’s Drizly users skew younger than they do nationwide, with Gen Z (11 percent versus six percent nationally) and millennials (64 percent versus 58 percent nationally) over-indexing on order share.

In Watertown, New York, vodka is the No. 1 subcategory sold on Drizly and flavored vodka is the No. 3 subcategory — a marked difference from national trends. Light lager and hard seltzer also break into the top five subcategories in this market.

Consumers Are Reaching for Cans

The share of cans sold on Drizly reached a year-to-date high in July: 15.2 percent of share, up from 14.8 percent in June. “Summer sales are in full swing and canned drinks continue to grow in popularity,” says Paquette. The top five subcategories for can sales include hard seltzer, light lager, RTD cocktails, IPA, and American-style lager.