Allen's Coffee Brandy, a venerable brand of liquor beloved in Maine, is no longer the top-selling alcohol in the Pine Tree State.
The Portland Press Herald obtained state alcoholic beverage records that say Mainers spent $12.2 million on Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and $11.7 million on Tito's Handmade Vodka last year. Those sales were enough to eclipse Allen's, which garnered $9.2 million in sales.
Allen's remains the most-purchased hard alcohol in the state in terms of volume, said Gary Shaw, executive vice president of Allen's producer M.S. Walker of Massachusetts.
Sales revenue of Allen's has dropped by about a sixth since 2014. Shaw said consumers in the state have opened up to more brands that are "more national in scope."
Maine is the only significant market for Allen's, which is especially popular in a milk-based mixed drink called a "Sombrero."
