In HBO’s “Game of Thrones” series, various characters have tried to battle their way to claim the Iron Throne using everything from brute force to social cunning. Within the spirits industry, the battle for the throne has been a bit more civilized, but, nonetheless, the alcohol category now has a new king.
“Over the past four years or so, whiskey has now replaced vodka as the No. 1 sub-category on dollars,” says Danny Brager, senior vice president of alcoholic beverages at New York-based Nielsen. “Brown is back; it’s the whiskey renaissance … it’s the major sub-category growth factor.”