Top 10 fastest growing spirits brands

Regardless of size, brands from all manner of spirits categories recorded double-digit growth last year, despite widespread challenges in the industry.

Speed demons: these are the world’s fastest growing spirits brands

It’s safe to say there’s a real mix of brands that have exhibited rapid growth over the past year, and arguably the top 10 fastest growing, all of which have delivered double-digit increases during 2014, represent a snapshot of the spirits categories proving popular in various global markets.

This year’s lineup is dominated by the whisky, vodka, brandy and rum categories, all of which are represented by both international and domestic brands. There’s a real assortment too of standard, premium and super-premium names, demonstrating that premiumisation is yet to filter through to every market.

Topping the list with a 60% year-on-year volume increase is new Brand Champions recruit Zytniowka, a local Eastern European vodka owned by Roust, whose growth comes from a relatively small base. The rapid success of a newcomer, particularly a vodka hailing from the economically-challenging Eastern Europe, is commendable, but it’s the Indian whiskies that are proving the most resilient.

Leading the Indian set, although not technically a “whisky”, is United Spirits’ Royal Challenge with 30% growth, which is closely followed by Pernod Ricard’s Imperial Blue (29%) and Allied Blenders & Distillers’ Officer’s Choice (19%).

Meanwhile the vodka category is well represented by a handful of international and regional brands from across the price spectrum.

Using data collated for our Brand Champions 2015 – our pick of those brands selling over one million cases annually which boast exceptional success within their categories – we run through the world’s fastest growing spirits brands.

Click through the following pages to discover which brands outperformed their relative categories.

10. Old Port Rum

2014: 1.8m

2013: 1.5m

% change: +17%

Owned by Indian producer Amrut Distillers, Old Port Rum saw a huge 17% sales uplift last year, helping it edge closer to the 2m case mark – which it previously hit in 2011. The rum has been distilled, aged and bottled at Amrut Distillers’ distillery in Bangalore, India.

9. Gorbatschow

2014: 1.4m

2013: 1.2m

% change: +17%

German vodka brand Gorbatschow may be a relatively small-scale brand, reporting case sales of 1.4m in 2014, but it has seen some of the most rapid growth in the entire million-case selling spirits industry. Increasing sales by 17% last year, the brand has managed to repeat success not seen since 2010.

8. Zubrowka

2014: 5.2m

2013: 4.4m

% change: +18%

Polish vodka label Zubrowka, owned by Roust (formerly Russian Standard), is once again one of fastest growing spirits brands in the world. Reporting 18% growth last year, the brand has added an impressive 4m cases to its sales since 2010. Named Vodka Brand Champion 2015, Zubrowka’s bison grass USP, contemporary branding and premium positioning have enabled it to appeal to a broad international audience.

7. Cîroc

2014: 2.6m

2013: 2.2m

% change: +18%

Also reporting an impressive 18% growth last year was Diageo’s Cîroc vodka, which hit 2.6m cases in 2014. The brand has attributed a large portion of its success to the launch of its popular pineapple-flavoured bottling in the US last year. With an innovative marketing campaigns and incredible command of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Cîroc was also named one of The Spirits Business’s inaugural Social Media Heroes.

6. Tanduay

2014: 16.6m

2013: 14.0m

% change: +19%

Philippines-based rum brand Tanduay was named Rum Brand Champion 2015 due to its astonishing 19% growth last year. Having experienced dramatic declines in 2013 when volumes plummeted by five million cases, the brand reported the highest growth of any rum brand among the million-case sellers in 2014. Tanduay attributed this growth to an “aggressive” new campaign for its flagship expression, launched in celebration of the group’s 160th anniversary.

5. Officer’s Choice

2014: 28.4m

2013: 23.8m

% change: +19%

Continuing its staggering growth trajectory in 2014, Allied Blenders & Distillers’ Indian whisky brand Officer’s Choice grew sales by 19% last year. Named Indian Whisky Brand Champion 2015 by The Spirits Business, the brand hit case sales of 28.4m, usurping Smirnoff Vodka and the world’s largest international spirits brand. Racing ahead of the Indian whisky’s overall 6% growth, also widened the gap between its nearest category rival, McDowell’s No.1.

4. Paul Masson Grande Amber

2014: 1.6m

2013: 1.3m

% change: +23%

Paul Masson Grande Amber’s enormous 23% volume growth last year has been credited with boosting the entire US brandy segment. Following three years of stagnant sales, the brand, owned by Constellation Brands, reported 1.6m nine-litre case sales, largely attributing its success to the positive performance of its peach-flavoured expression.

3. Imperial Blue

2014: 14.0m

2013: 10.9m

% change: +29%

Following on from its success in 2013, when it was also named one of the world’s fastest-growing spirits brand, Pernod Ricard’s Imperial Blue Indian whisky reported truly staggering volume gains last year, at 29%. Since 2010, the brand has witnessed 150% volume growth and is now the world’s fourth best-selling Indian whisky brand.

2. Royal Challenge

2014: 2.7m

2013: 2.1m

% change: +30%

Another Indian whisky that saw huge volume growth last year was United Spirits’ Royal Challenge. With an increase of 30% last year to 2.7m cases, the brand witnessed its most successful year ever in 2014. Parent company and leading Indian whisky producer United Spirits did not experience such gains across its wider portfolio, with McDowell’s Green Label and Gold Riband dropping 38% and 34% respectively.

1. Zytniowka

2014: 1.3m

2013: 0.8m

% change: +58%

The world’s fastest growing spirit brand is Brand Champion newcomer Zytniowka, which grew case sales by 58% in 2014 to surpass the one million case mark for the first time. The Polish vodka brand defied the crippling impact of its domestic market’s 15% tax hike, which hit the financial results of many of its category cousins. The brand was acquired by Roust (formerly Russian Standard) after the group purchased its parent company CEDC in 2013.