For all the growing interest and publicity surrounding single malts, blended whiskies are still the volume sellers globally and in the UK. However, it is interesting to note how brands that sell well in the UK do not necessarily repeat that success overseas and brands that sell well globally are, very often, just also-rans on the UK market.
There are many reasons for this. Some brands have always been targeted at overseas markets, or are historically well-established there. So, what sells well globally and in what quantities? The most recent figures come from The Spirits Business.com up to 2016 and the standard measure is a case (12 bottles at 75cl, or nine litres), but I’ll give both the case and bottle total for the top 10, in reverse order.
At number 10 is Bells, from Diageo, selling 2.1 million cases, or 25.2 million bottles.
At Number 9 is Label 5, from the French spirits firm La Martiniquaise, selling some 2.59 million cases, or 31.08 million bottles.
At Number 8 is Dewar’s White Label, long part of the Bacardi portfolio, selling 2.8 million cases or 33.6 million bottles.
Another Bacardi brand, William Lawson’s, sits at Number 7, selling 2.99 million cases, or 35.88 million bottles.
In the Number 6 spot is William Peel, a whisky almost never seen in the UK but a big duty-free and overseas seller from the French firm Marie Brizard. Total case sales 3 million, or 36 million bottles.
At Number 5 is J&B Rare, a Diageo brand selling 3.5 million cases, or some 42 million bottles.
At Number 4 is arguably the only “de luxe” blend in the Top 10, namely Chivas Regal, star of the Pernod-Ricard portfolio. It shifted 4.26 million cases, or 51.12 million bottles.
At Number 3 is William Grant’s Standfast, which sold 4.48 million cases, or 53.76 million bottles.
In the Number 2 spot is Ballantine’s, another big seller from Pernod Ricard, which shifted 6.7 million cases or 80.4 million bottles.
At Number 1, and miles out in front of the competition, is Diageo’s Johnny Walker who, in his many guises, sold a staggering 17.4 million cases, or 208.8 million bottles. For all he’s nearly 200 years old, wow, is he still going strong.
