The largest publicly traded alcoholic beverage company in the United States

In this article, we are going to talk about the largest publicly traded alcohol company in the United States. If you are also curious to know which other alcohol producers have come close, here are the The 20 Largest Publicly Traded Alcoholic Beverage Companies in the United States.

The global alcohol industry:

In 2019, global alcohol consumption, measured in liters of pure alcohol per person aged 15 or older, was 5.5 liters, a relative decrease of 4.7% from 5.7 liters in 2010. As we mentioned in our article – The 20 most consumed alcohols in the world – The global alcoholic beverages market size was valued at USD 1.62 trillion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 2 trillion by 2031, at a CAGR of 2.2% during the forecast period.

The market is expected to be driven by the increasing global young adult population coupled with high disposable income and consumer demand for premium/super premium products. Globally, beer is driving the alcoholic beverage market. Regionally, North America and Asia Pacific are expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

The American alcoholic beverage market:

The U.S. spirits industry is overcoming economic headwinds to adapt to changing consumer preferences while reducing beer’s dominance. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, spirits’ market share increased from 28.7% in 2000 to 42.1% in 2022, while beer held a 41.9% share that year. Thus, in 2022, the spirits industry surpassed beer in terms of revenue for the first time in its history. The trend continued in 2023, when spirits’ market share again exceeded 42%. Sales by spirits suppliers in the United States totaled $37.7 billion last year, while volumes increased 1.2% to 308.8 million 9-liter cases.

The spirits makers’ rise to the top is fueled in part by a renaissance in cocktail culture, including the growing popularity of ready-to-drink concoctions, as well as strong growth in the tequila and American whiskey segments.

Record year for American spirits:

U.S. spirits exports hit a record $2.2 billion in 2023, up 8% from the previous year, according to a report on U.S. spirits exports released by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. American whiskey exports also increased 9% from 2022 to a record $1.4 billion.

Exports continue to recover after falling due to the devastating EU and UK tariffs on US spirits. Those tariffs were suspended two years ago, and as a result, US whiskey exports to the EU have jumped more than 60%, from $439 million in 2021 to $705 million in 2023. However, the European Union announced in December 2023 that it would maintain the suspension of tariffs on US whiskeys in the steel and aluminium dispute for 15 months, until 31 March 2025. If no agreement is reached by then, the EU will reimpose its tariff on US whiskeys at 50%, up from the previous 25%.

The story continues

Close-up of bottles of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages from a winery.

Methodology:

To gather information for this article, we searched the Yahoo Finance and Google Finance databases, looking for The Largest Public Liquor Companies in AmericaThe following public companies have been ranked by their market capitalization, as of this writing.

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1. Anheuser-Busch InBev Sa/NV (NYSE:BUD)

Market capitalization: $106.63 billion

Anheuser-Busch InBev Sa/NV (NYSE:BUD) is the The world’s largest beer producer by volume. The company recorded a global production volume of 585 million hectoliters in 2023 while posting revenue of $59.38 billion, an increase of more than 2.7% from the previous year. This increase in revenue was achieved despite the headwinds the company faced in the U.S. market last year following the recent controversy surrounding its best-selling Bud Light brand, which caused the iconic brand to lose its crown as the best beer brand. America’s best-selling beer after almost two decades.

AB InBev’s total production volume declined 0.6% in the first quarter of 2024, as growth in most of its markets was offset by volume performance in Argentina, China and especially the US. However, revenue per hectoliter still increased 3.3% driven by revenue management initiatives and premiumization. Underlying EPS also increased 16% year-over-year to $0.75.

Despite a slight decline in overall volume, the company’s portfolio appears to be regaining momentum thanks to the continued strength of its major flagship brands. Busch Light sales remained strong, Stella Artois saw market share gains following the recent partnership with David Beckham, Michelob Ultra is expected to benefit from its growing popularity in the US, and even Bud Light, despite the recent setback, remained among the top four or five brands in most US markets in terms of sales.

Anheuser-Busch InBev Sa/NV (NYSE: BUD) also maintains a strong position in the growing non-alcoholic beer segment. In fact, it recently signed a partnership for the upcoming Olympic Games, making it the first beer company to sponsor the major event. The IOC specifically highlighted Corona Cero – the non-alcoholic version of the global best-seller Corona – as the beer of choice for the partnership, which will run from the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Games to the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games. The brewing giant has also partnered with brands such as Roland Garros, the NBA, UFC, NFL and even UFC to market its flagship beers, reflecting its extensive marketing capabilities.

Among the 36 hedge funds in the IM database that had invested in the The best alcoholic actions As of Q1 2024, the largest stake of 9.29 million shares was held by Fisher Asset Management, valued at over $564.8 million.

Want to know more about other liquor manufacturers big enough to make the list, here’s our full list of The 20 Largest Publicly Traded Alcoholic Beverage Companies in the United States.

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