Restaurant Sciences LLC, Newton, Mass., reported that the sales of on-premise flavored vodkas fell 11.7 percent from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013. Analyzing more than 170 million drink orders, Restaurant Sciences learned that flavored vodkas lost nearly 1 percent of its on-premise spirits market share from the third quarter of 2012 compared with the third quarter of 2013.

"Flavored vodkas' on-premise spirits market share peaked at 8.7 percent in Q3 2012," said Chuck Ellis, president and chief executive officer of Restaurant Sciences LLC, in a statement. “Since its peak, flavored vodkas have lost market share over the past 12 months to other flavored spirits, such as whiskey. A few select brands, such as [Bacardi’s] Grey Goose Cherry Noir, up 11.6 percent, and [Diageo’s] Smirnoff Cranberry, up 19 percent, are still showing excellent growth. Despite the market softness in 2013, Restaurant Sciences has tracked the introduction of 46 new flavored vodkas since 2012."

Restaurant Sciences tracks more than 600 flavored vodka brands, with the Top 50 flavored vodkas accounting for 73 percent of sales. Among the larger brands, Pernod Ricard USA’s Absolut Citron saw a 1.8 percent year-over-year sales decline. While on-premise sales of Grey Goose Cherry Noir flavored vodka have increased, all other Grey Goose flavored vodka sales have declined between 8 and 20 percent at on-premise channels. Other category leaders, such as William Grant & Sons’ Stolichnaya and Proximo Spirits’ Three Olives, are down more than 20 percent, according to Restaurant Sciences.