Spirits wholesalers appear more optimistic about industry volumes and mix moving forward into the next three months, but are "more moderate" on price increases, according to a quarterly survey done by UBS. Over half (56%) of the wholesalers surveyed say they are "more optimistic than three months ago," while 70% expect volumes to increase year over year in the next quarter (which spans the holidays). Even better, wholesalers predict that "the proportion of consumers purchasing higher priced spirits" will rise to 41% year over year, writes senior analyst Kaumil Gajrawala.