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Tito's Handmade Vodka is the best-selling spirits brand by volume in the US, commanding more off-premise dollar sales than any single tequila brand in most Circana periods. Patron and Don Julio have been closing the gap. A single-period crossover would be a landmark moment in the ongoing tequila vs. vodka narrative that has defined the US spirits market for a decade.
Tito's Handmade Vodka has held the top position in US off-premise spirits sales for most of the past decade, benefiting from its American craft narrative, widespread distribution, and strong brand loyalty. The tequila category's decade-long growth has produced brands like Patron and Don Julio that approach Tito's volume in some periods. A single four-week period where a tequila brand crosses ahead would represent the most concrete evidence yet that tequila is completing its displacement of vodka as America's dominant spirits category.
Tito's Handmade Vodka, produced by Fifth Generation Inc. in Austin, Texas, became the best-selling spirits brand in the US in the mid-2010s and has maintained that position through brand loyalty, broad distribution, and the gluten-free and American-made narratives that resonated with its core consumer.
The tequila category's growth over the same period has been dramatic. Total US tequila volume surpassed bourbon in the early 2020s and has been accelerating toward vodka's total. The two brands most likely to challenge Tito's in a single Circana period are Patron (Bacardi) and Don Julio (Diageo), both of which generate multi-billion-dollar annual retail sales.
The challenge is absolute scale. Tito's generates approximately 10 to 11 million 9-liter cases annually in the US, while Patron and Don Julio each generate 5 to 7 million cases. For a tequila brand to exceed Tito's in a single four-week period, it would need either extraordinary promotional velocity or a period in which Tito's experiences unusual distribution or supply disruption.
The gap has been narrowing. Don Julio's growth trajectory and Patron's consistent volume make a statistical crossover within reach over a multi-year horizon, even if 2026 specifically remains a stretch for a single period crossover. The market captures this as a real possibility rather than an impossibility, given the trajectory of both brands.
YES if a single Circana four-week scan period released in calendar 2026 shows any tequila brand with higher US off-premise dollar or volume sales than Tito's Handmade Vodka in the same period. NO if Tito's outsells all individual tequila brands in every tracked 2026 period.
Tito's Handmade Vodka generates approximately 10 to 11 million 9-liter cases annually in the US, making it the best-selling spirits brand by volume. Its off-premise dollar sales are the highest of any single spirits brand in Circana tracking.
Patron (Bacardi) and Don Julio (Diageo) are the two tequila brands with the highest US off-premise volume. Both generate 5 to 7 million 9-liter cases annually, representing roughly half of Tito's volume.
The tequila category as a whole has not yet outsold the vodka category in total US off-premise dollar or volume terms. However, tequila has been growing while vodka has been flat to declining, and the gap is narrowing.
Vodka dominated US spirits consumption for over 30 years, driven by its neutrality, versatility, and celebrity marketing. Tequila's rise represents a fundamental shift in American spirits preferences toward aged, terroir-driven, and brown spirits with distinct flavor profiles.
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