A Tougher Market. A Different Plan for 2027?

As Spirits suppliers work through their 2027 plans and budgets, many face a difficult balance: protecting budget while giving their businesses a credible path forward.

The latest Craft Spirits data adds urgency to those decisions. According to the American Craft Spirits Association’s release of the 2026 Craft Spirits Data Project, U.S. Craft Spirits sales fell 3.7% in value and 8% in volume in 2025. The number of active Craft distillers also declined, with closures exceeding openings for the first time.

Those figures describe a challenging market. But for suppliers deciding where to commit resources, the findings on market access deserve particular attention.

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Beyond softer demand

ACSA reports that sales at the distillery accounted for 26% of Craft Spirits sales in 2025, up from 14% in 2015. Its release connects that shift to an environment in which smaller producers face greater difficulty reaching consumers through other channels, including distributors narrowing their portfolios.

Tasting rooms are valuable businesses in their own right. They create direct customer relationships, opportunities for discovery, and a place to tell a brand’s story. Their growing share of sales, however, sits alongside mounting obstacles elsewhere in the market.

For suppliers whose plans depend on growth beyond the distillery, that raises a practical question: how will the business support that growth?

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Revisit the assumptions behind the plan

A 2027 budget can look disciplined on paper while still depending on more sales activity than the organization can realistically deliver.

A new market requires attention. An existing distributor relationship requires coordination. A placement requires follow-through if it is going to become a reorder.

Our perspective is that suppliers should examine those requirements as closely as their revenue targets. Which markets offer a credible opportunity? Where is the brand gaining repeat business? What activity will be needed to support the next stage of growth? And, who has the capacity to do it?

In some cases, that review may support expansion. In others, it may point toward concentrating resources in fewer markets or strengthening execution where the brand already has a foothold.

A more focused plan can still be an ambitious one.

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Match resources to specific needs

There is no universal staffing answer to a difficult market.

Some suppliers need consistent account coverage. Others need experienced commercial leadership, better distributor coordination, or help translating a strategy into a manageable operating plan. These are different needs, and they call for different commitments.

A full-time hire may make sense when the work is sustained and the business can support the role. Fractional resources may be useful when a supplier needs defined expertise or capacity without committing to a full-time position. Sometimes the most productive change is clarifying priorities and responsibilities within the existing team.

The starting point should be the work that needs to happen. Resource decisions become more useful when they are tied to a specific gap, clear expectations, and outcomes the business can evaluate.

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Build a plan the business can execute

The latest data does not establish that spending more on sales will reverse a supplier’s performance. Demand, channel access, distributor priorities, and financial constraints all shape what is possible.

It does reinforce the importance of testing the assumptions behind a growth plan.

As 2027 budgets take shape, suppliers have an opportunity to align their market choices, available resources, and expectations for execution. That may mean making difficult tradeoffs about where to invest and where to pull back.

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At Prometheus, we believe the strongest plan is one the business has the capacity to carryout with clear priorities and people accountable for the work.

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Source: American Craft Spirits Association, “Craft Spirits Sales Decline for Third Straight Year,” October 6, 2026, presenting the 2026 Craft Spirits Data Project, jointly produced by ACSA and Park Street. The report covers calendar-year 2025, with the active distiller count measured as of August 2026. Planning recommendations are Prometheus Beverage’s interpretation.