Luxury French vodka Grey Goose is looking to stem years of losses with its latest range: Essences (pictured). However, premium offerings saw an increase by volume of 1.2%, while luxury was flat, and super-premium and sub-premium bottlings both fell 5% and 6%, respectively. Overall, imported vodkas fell slightly last year, down 0.5% to 23.1 million cases. And while flavors continue to make up a small percentage of total brand volume, these recent bottlings have helped bolster brand awareness and expand the shelf space for these labels. Overshadowed by the Texas vodka as well as the popularity of whiskies, imported vodkas are also trying to tap into the meteoric rise of RTDs with branded canned cocktails.

These unique offerings are the latest gambit to try and compete with TitoР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s, the domestic stalwart that has essentially taken over the vodka market. In the last several years, imported producers have been leading the way with more botanical and herb-driven combinations in the flavor space. The flavored vodka market has certainly come a long way since suppliers first flooded the market with sweet and artificially fruity offerings in the early 2000s. Unlike in the early 2000s, brands like Absolut, which released a watermelon expression this year (pictured), are launching offerings that are focused on light and natural flavors instead of overly sweet options.Р В РІР‚СњР вЂ™Р’В«asil, ginger, lemongrass, mint, orange blossom, rose, elderflower, sage.

Imported vodka brands are returning to flavors to entice consumers to the category. Import marketers have opted to fight the domestic surge with an onslaught of line extensions, RTDs, and other new creations.

Grey goose strawberry and lemongrass