In Tracy Byrd’s song, “Ten rounds with Jose Cuervo,” the country singer tells the story of a night out drinking 10 rounds of tequila. He ends the song on the tenth round and sings “And after 10 rounds with Jose Cuervo, I lost count and started counting again.” Although most consumers probably are not going 10 rounds with Jose Cuervo, industry data shows that they are enjoying a round (or two) of their favorite tequila.

The U.S. spirits market performed particularly well in the past year, with a few sub-categories posting significant growth, experts note. Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI) reported a 12.7 percent increase in tequila dollar sales, totaling approximately $520 million, for the 52 weeks ending Feb. 24 in IRI measured U.S. multi-outlets including convenience stores.