The world whisky brands to watch in 2014

From American whiskey to Irish, Japanese and everything in between, we pluck out those brands tipped for the big time in 2014.

World whisky is making a stand to its Scotch cousins

Pernod Ricard’s first quarter results (June to August 2014) give an interesting snapshot of just how buoyant Irish whiskey is. The world’s top brand by a distance, Jameson’s, saw net volumes jump 13% on the same period last year, when the company’s Scotch brands were all heading in the opposite direction.

Brendan Buckley, innovation and category development director at Irish Distillers, claims sales in the core US market are growing 20%. “And the exciting thing is we’re just scratching the surface in many States, so the potential’s still enormous.” The doubling of capacity at the Midleton distillery may not have come a day too soon.

The main brand extension has been Jameson’s Black Barrel recently launched in New York and being rolled out across the US right now. Jameson’s has no plan to join the flavoured whisky scene, which is being left to stable-mate Paddy, with “Bee Sting”, set to tap into the honeyed whiskey craze, and “Devil’s Apple”.

John Quinn, global brand ambassador at the number two brand, Tullamore Dew, now owned by William Grant & Sons, is equally upbeat. “The total category is up 20-21% by value and 17-18% by volume.”

Describing the surge in US sales as “phenomenal”, he reports: “Other markets showing good growth would be Central Europe, Russia and South Africa.”

Irish distilling boom

Having been distilled under contract at Midleton, the whiskey is coming home with the opening of the Tullamore distillery next summer. It wasn’t an essential development, for as Quinn points out, “there are thousands of Scotch brands and only 110 distilleries, yet they manage to cope. On the other hand having your own distillery is hugely valuable as it gives you a provenance you can boast of and a supply of whiskies to expand the offering.”

Clearly Irish whiskey has a way to go. “If it keeps growing by 20% in volume that’s only slightly more than if Scotch grew by 1%,” says Quinn. “We’re not unaware of the challenge, or the wonderful opportunity.”

Above all, the category has youth on its side in overseas markets, as does American whiskey says Jon Hayes, SVP managing director of Jack Daniel’s which pioneered the export drive in the 1960’s. Among current highlights, he mentions the “phenomenal success in Germany, France, Japan and Canada”, and the growth in emerging markets such as Russia, Poland, Mexico and Brazil.

Unlike Irish whiskey, its American cousin has a big, healthy domestic market. It may have shrunk by a half between 1960 and 2000, but since then Hayes talks of a “booming renaissance” in the States and “a rediscovery of American whiskey by the millennial consumer”. As a category it shares the sense of heritage and “craft” of spirits like Scotch, but also participates in what Hayes calls “the white spirit occasion”.

“For years we’ve played in the mixable area, with Jack Daniel’s and Coke probably the number one bar call in the world.” And if that wasn’t enough… there’s now Honey.

Click through the following pages to discover our pick of the three world whisky brands to watch in 2014.

Tullamore Dew

William Grant has ambitious plans for its recently acquired Irish whiskey brand, and has invested €35 million in a new distillery in Tullamore whose stills will be fired up this summer. Finally having a spiritual home of its own will be a huge psychological boost for the brand and allow it to expand its offering over time.

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey

Tennessee Honey may not have been the first flavoured whiskey when it launched in spring 2011, but its growth has been something to behold. This year it smashed through half a million cases in the States and next year is set to spread fast through Germany, Mexico, Russia and Japan having just been launched there.

Powers single pot still Irish whiskey

Pot still Irish whiskeys are Ireland’s answer to single malt Scotch, and were only relaunched as a category in May 2011 by Irish Distillers. Powers Gold Label is a well-known blend which will boost awareness for its two pot still expressions – Powers John’s Lane and Powers Signature.