The Columbia Valley’s most celebrated suds have been recorded for early 2013, and it may not come as much of a surprise who melds the most popular mixture of yeast, barley, hops and malt.

Budweiser earned first place for most popular beer, followed by Busch in second place and Kokanee (which is brewed not far away in Creston) taking up third place.

The data comes from B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch sales figures from the last 12 months at both the Radium and Invermere stores as of March 7.

The valley’s most popular spirits were Smirnoff Red Label Vodka in first place, Alberta Pure Vodka in second and Crown Royal Whisky in third.

Wine lovers paired their dinner delights with the popular Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in first place. Heavier dishes brought out the robust flavor of Finca Los Primos Malbec in second place, which is noted for its aromas of blackberry, black cherry and spice. Lastly, the fruity aromas and natural taste of organic Prosecco Frizanti-Villa Teresa captured the palate of the valley in third place.

Those looking to explore the lighter side of adult refreshment found the sweet mixture of Palm Bay’s Tangerine Mist to captivate their taste buds and wallets in first place. Palm Bay’s domination of the spritzer market continued with their Pineapple Mandarin Orange beverage. The third place was also captured by Palm Bay with their Ruby Grapefruit Sunrise spritzer.

Although each category had their most popular drink, sales in each group changed incrementally.  The sale of spirits dropped by 1.18 per cent. Wine enjoyed a comeback with a 4.64 per cent gain. Coolers climbed the ladder with a 5.42 per cent gain and beer went flat with a 1.43 per cent decrease in sales.