Tito’s Handmade Vodka dominated NC’s liquor market, yet again, with consumers buying about 300,000 bottles per month combined of the 750 milliliter and 1.75 liter options. Tito’s – the gluten-free vodka found in the brunch-favorite “Bloody Mary” – originates from the first legal distillery in Texas. It far outpaced the runner-up, Smirnoff Vodka PET 1.75 liter, which sold about 70,000 bottles per month on average.
Generally, vodka remains the most popular spirit across North Carolina, with eight of the top ten most popular liquors in the state being a vodka brand, or vodka-containing drink. While Orange County follows suit, with Tito’s ranking as its top-seller, Durham County breaks the mold with Don Julio Reposado Tequila taking the lead.
As Tito’s decade-long reign continues, a new kind of alcohol has risen in popularity: ready-to-drink cans. Tony Dubois, the Orange County ABC General Manager, said High Noon and Surfside have been recent top-selling ready-to-drink seltzers. Ready-to-drink seltzers are a relatively new addition to the liquor world, with High Noon Vodka Seltzers hitting the market in 2019 and Surfside in 2022…