The liquor business returned to growth last year, albeit at a lower rate than seen before the recession levels, says the industry's main trade association.
The Distilled Spirits Council said the volume of spirits sold in the United States rose 2 percent to 190 million cases in 2010, with revenue climbing 2.3 percent to $19.1 billion.
In more good news for the margins of major distillers including Diageo PLC, Pernod Ricard SA, Brown-Forman Corp. and Fortunes Brands Inc.'s Beam Global unit, tipplers are also going back to high-end products, with revenue in the superpremium category growing 10.9 percent.
