As of late, much of the growth in the US spirits industry has been driven by smaller volume brands that are up on consumer trends. However, now we're seeing a revival amongst the big brands, which bodes well for the overall health of the category. As you know, the two largest spirits players (Diageo and Pernod Ricard) have successfully improved price/mix over the past year or so. That initially caused volumes to suffer in 2011, but both companies - led by Diageo - are bouncing back, per NABCA data covering control states for the period ending in May.