The world’s 10 most popular Scotch brands
Scotch sales may have stood stagnant across the globe last year, but that didn’t get in the way of these 10 most popular Scotch brands from retaining market domination.
This list of the world’s 10 most popular Scotch brands shows which names have out-performed the categoryIt will probably come as no surprise that this list is comprised of top-selling Scotch brands consists solely of bottlings from the leading blended Scotch category.
Yet, despite their global popularity, growth among the world’s 10 most popular Scotch brands was scarce, with most reporting sluggish sales or minor increases and decreases.
But volumes still remained relatively high, with number one brand on this list breaking the 20 million case barrier, becoming only one of five global brands to achieve such volumes.
Change abounds the rest of the list, as a triumphant few brands thrive and others struggle in what was a tempestuous year for the Scotch category.
China continued its crackdown on conspicuous consumption, undoubtedly damaging sales of Scotch and Cognac, while import tariffs remained a controversial point in the industry.
But the sector remains optimistic, with some Scotch brands reaching record figures last year and unprecedented investment being pledged to support future growth.
Following our recently published Brand Champions 2014 – our pick of those brands selling over one million cases annually that are performing exceptionally within their category – we run through which are the world’s most popular Scotch brands on the market today.
Click through the following pages to discover which are the world’s 10 most popular Scotch brands.
10. Bell’s
2013 case sales: 2.5m
2012 case sales: 2.5m
Growth in 2013: 0%
Diageo’s blended whisky Bell’s has seen the exact same number of case sales for the past three years. The brand may soon benefit further from a recent advertising push in South Africa last year with the launch of heartwarming commercial “The Reader”, the effects of which may be evident in next year’s financial results.
9. William Peel
2013 case sales: 2.6m
2012 case sales: 2.5m
Growth in 2013: 6%
Last year, Belvedere-owned William Peel blended whisky usurped Label 5’s position as the world’s number nine best-selling Scotch whisky, knocking the brand off the top 10 table. The brand is also the number two best-selling spirit in Belvedere’s domestic market, France, beaten only by Pernod Ricard’s namesake anis brand, Ricard.
8. William Lawson’s
2013 case sales: 2.8m
2012 case sales: 2.6m
Growth in 2013: 8%
Bacardi-owned William Lawson’s has witnessed steady growth since 2009 and has retained its title as the best-selling imported spirit in Russia, having gone from a standing start to almost a million cases in five years. It’s possible this growth is set to continue as increasingly more Russian’s develop a preference for dark spirits amid rising taxes placed on local vodka. Made with a high malt content, the blend was first produced by William Lawson in 1849.
7. Dewar’s
2013 case sales: 3.0m
2012 case sales: 3.0m
Growth in 2013: 0%
Even a host of advertising controversies couldn’t stop Bacardi’s second blended Scotch whisky, Dewar’s, from retaining a spot on this list. In 2013, the brand’s sales sat steady, despite widespread criticism toward’s its Highlander Honey advertisement fronted by English actress Claire Forlani, who experienced a torrent of criticism for her “poor” Scottish accent. Another advertising debacle occurred in November last year when Dewar’s was forced to remove a YouTube commercial deemed “offensive” and “sexist”. However, the brand continued to experience success, unveiling a number of new bottle designs and marketing campaign to “take the brand into the future”
6. The Famous Grouse
2013 case sales: 3.4m
2012 case sales: 3.4m
Growth in 2013: 0%
The Famous Grouse’s 10% surge in sale in 2012 was maintained in 2013, but the brand ceased to grow further. The Edrington-owned Scotch whisky underwent a exciting series of changes in 2013, revealing it was to give its The Famous Grouse Experience a £250,000 makeover as well as unveiled its oldest whisky to date and announced plans to expand its international distribution network.
5. J&B Rare
2013 case sales: 4.0m
2012 case sales: 4.2m
Growth in 2013: -5%
J&B Rare, the most popular whisky in Europe, saw a slight decline in 2013 to report sales of 4.2m cases in 2013, up 200,000 cases on the previous year. The Diageo-owned brand, a blend of 42 different whiskies, finds its most enthusiastic consumers in the US, South East Asia, and southern Europe, particularly Spain, France and Portugal. The brand recently ventured into the flavoured “Scotch” category with the release of J&B Urban Honey earlier this year. It therefore remains to be seen whether this will have a significant affect on the brand’s sales in the year to come.
4. Chivas Regal
2013 case sales: 4.6m
2012 case sales: 4.8m
Growth in 2013: -3%
Despite announcing in May 2012 that it would be investing £40 million to increase production and a open brand new bottling plant, Chivas Brothers – the whisky and gin arm of Pernod Ricard – saw its marketing leading Scotch brand Chivas Regal decline in case sales last year. This decline has caused the Pernod Ricard-owned brand to be dropped out of the top three best-selling Scotch brands.
3. Grant’s
2013 case sales: 4.7m
2012 case sales: 4.4m
Growth in 2013: 7%
One the surface, an increase in sales of 300,000 cases by Grant’s may not appear like too much of a monumental feat. But compare the brand’s 7% growth to Chivas Regal’s and J&B Rare’s declines of 3% and 5% respectively, then Grant’s steady ascent to third place is an undeniably impressive accomplishment. The achievement also marks a comeback for the brand, whose previously held third spot was swiped by Chivas Regal in 2012, which reported sales of just 100,000 less than William Grant & Sons’ namesake blended brand. Its recently launched Grant’s Signature, which has been designed to appeal to a younger market, and newly appointed global brand ambassador may push sales even further this year.
2. Ballantine’s
2013 case sales: 6.0m
2012 case sales: 5.8m
Growth in 2013: 3%
With case sales of 6m in 2013, Pernod Ricard’s Ballantine’s blended Scotch whisky sits head and shoulders above the preceding best-selling brands. Last year, the brand started to recover from its drastic 11% decline in 2012, however, it has yet to again reach its impressive 6.4m seen in 2011. Currently, most Ballantine’s growth comes from its entry-level ‘Finest’ blend, that makes up 89% of its worldwide sales. The brand’s recently released Ballantine’s Brasil might also spur growth in line with the rising flavoured “Scotch” trend.
1. Johnnie Walker
2013 case sales: 19.7m
2012 case sales: 20.1m
Growth in 2013: 2%
By far the world’s most popular, best-selling Scotch whisky brand is Johnnie Walker. The Diageo-owned blended Scotch brand smashed through the 20 million case mark in 2013, making it only one of five brands in the world with such volumes, making it our our latest Scotch Whisky Brand Champion. While its growth rate was slower than in 2012, when sales grew by almost 2m cases, the market leader confidently retains the number one position, strides ahead of the competition. While its nearest rival, Ballantine’s, would need to grow case sales by more than 13m, in order to usurp the number one spot, it seems Johnnie Walker will easily keep its position for some time yet.
