The world’s 10 largest spirit brands

Global spirits consumption continued to gain pace in both established and emerging markets in 2012, with the world’s 10 largest spirit brands collectively accounting for 238 million cases sales.

Find out which are the world’s largest spirit brands

Over the last few weeks we’ve been running down the world’s largest spirit brands by category, and as we get ready to publish our Brand Champions 2013 on 8 July – those brands selling over one million cases achieving success in their respective category – we’ve compiled one final list of the worl’ds top-selling spirits by volume.

While soju, vodka and cachaca are the world’s largest spirit categories by volume, just one brand from each is represented in our list of the world’s largest spirit brands in 2012. The majority consist of Indian whiskies, which seem to be edging more towards premium brands, and rum.

Click through the following links to discover the largest brands in each spirit category (note: we’ve only included those categories that have at least 10 brands selling over one million cases).

The world’s largest vodka brands
The world’s largest Scotch whisky brands
The world’s largest rum brands
The world’s largest Indian whisky brands
The world’s largest world whisky brands
The world’s largest brandy & Cognac brands

Click through the following pages to discover which are the world’s 10 largest spirit brands.

10. Bagpiper

2012 case sales: 14m
2011 case sales: 16m
Growth in 2012: -13%
Last year’s position: 9

Bagpiper’s case sales fell by around 2m in 2012, meaning United Spirits’ leading Indian whisky brand was overtaken by McDowell’s No.1 Reserve, which features later on in this list. The fall in volume is likely attributed to United Spirits’ new focus on its higher-priced brands.

9. McDowell’s No.1 Celebration

2012 case sales: 17.8m
2011 case sales: 15.6m
Growth in 2012: 14%
Last year’s position: 10

The second entry for United Spirits is McDowell’s No.1 Celebration Rum – the largest selling rum brand in India. With 14% growth achieved in 2012, the brand has jumped up two places from the world’s 10th largest spirit in 2011, to the 8th largest.

8. Officer’s Choice

2012 case sales: 18.1m
2011 case sales: 16.5m
Growth in 2012: 10%
Last year’s position: 7

Allied Blenders’ leading Indian whisky Officer’s Choice has dropped one place to the world’s 7th largest spirit brand, despite achieving a massive 10% growth in 2012.

7. Pirassununga 51

2012 case sales: 18.5m
2011 case sales: 18.6m
Growth in 2012: -1%
Last year’s position: 5

The only cachaca on the list of the world’s largest spirit brands is Pirassununga 51, the Brazilian brand owned by Muller de Bebidas. A decline of 1% volume in 2012 has not budged the globally-recognisable brand from its spot at number five.

6. McDowell’s No.1 Reserve

2012 case sales: 19.5m
2011 case sales: 16.1m
Growth in 2012: 21%
Last year’s position: 8

McDowell’s No.1 Reserve, India’s most popular local whisky, has risen from 8th position last year to 6th, thanks to a huge 21% growth in volume last year. It has eclipsed its sister brands McDowell’s No.1 Celebration Rum and Bagpiper Indian whisky to become owner United Spirits’ best-selling brand.

5. Tanduay

2012 case sales: 19.6m
2011 case sales: 18.7m
Growth in 2012: 5%
Last year’s position: 4

Having grown in volume year-on-year since the Brand Champions began, Tanduay is on-track to becoming the largest-selling rum in our list. Despite dropping one place to fourth position this year, the brand is close in volume terms to Bacardi and Johnnie Walker. A new distribution agreement in the States in 2013 may well see the brand overtake its international rivals by this time next year.

4. Johnnie Walker

2012 case sales: 19.7m
2011 case sales: 18m
Growth in 2012: 9%
Last year’s position: 6

Diageo’s blended Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker is the most popular whisky brand on our list of the world’s largest spirit brands, jumping up two places to 4th position this year.

3. Bacardi

2012 case sales: 19.8m
2011 case sales: 19.6m
Growth in 2012: 1%
Last year’s position: 3

There’s no change for Bacardi’s flagship Puerto Rican rum brand, as just 1% growth in 2012 does little to shift its position this year. At 19.8m cases it doesn’t look likely to take on the spirit brands in first and second place any time soon, although it has some competition from a certain Scotch and rum brand on its tail.

2. Smirnoff

2012 case sales: 25.8m
2011 case sales: 24.7m
Growth in 2012: 4%
Last year’s position: 2

Diageo’s leading vodka brand Smirnoff has bolstered its position as the world’s 2nd largest spirit brand with its multitude of flavoured expressions. Vodka’s popularity in the US – not to mention flavoured vodka – has helped Smirnoff achieve 4% growth in 2012 to 25.8m case sales.

1. Jinro

2012 case sales: 65.3m
2011 case sales: 66m
Growth in 2012: -1%
Last year’s position: 1

HiteJinro’s namesake soju brand continues to lead the charge for spirits sales worldwide, thanks to its unrivalled popularity in Korea, where it is obviously the market leader. Jinro has seen sales steadily decline over the past five years, despite a brief period of growth in 2010. However the noticeable declines (down 11m cases since 2008), have done little to shift Jinro from its top spot as the world’s best-selling spirit brand.