The 30 Most Popular Liquors In The World
Drinks International released its annual list of the most popular liquor brands around the globe, featuring spirits from far and wide and peeling back the curtain on drinking trends across the world. Among the top 30 liquors worldwide, vodka and whiskey brands are particularly well-represented, while only one gin makes the cut. Read below to see the alcohol brands the world drank in 2023.
The Best Alcohol Brands That Just Missed The Cut
These ten brands just missed the cut for the top thirty. All but four of them sold more than 5 million cases in 2023. Here they are from 40th through 31st place: Chivas Regal, Bombay, Campari, Tanqueray, Sterling Reserve, Magic Moments, McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration, iichiko Shochu, Hennessy, Gordon’s, and Crown Royal.
The Top 30 Liquors
30. Crown Royal Whisky
Crown Royal is a Canadian whisky aged in a variety of casks, a perk of looser rules around whisky production compared to the United States. Because of this, Crown Royal — which offers traditional whiskies as well as flavored varieties such as peach, vanilla, apple and maple — embodies a variety of flavor profiles born out of different types of wood casks.
29. Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky
George Ballantine founded this Scotch whisky company in the early 19th century, which steadily grew in popularity in Scotland, the U.K., and eventually the States. Ballantine’s Finest, one of its most popular varieties, burst onto the scene in 1910 and remains popular over a century later.
28. Baileys Irish Cream
When you think of Irish Cream, you probably think of Baileys. As the world’s first and best-selling cream liqueur, Baileys sold over 2 billion bottles in 2021.
27. Mansion House Brandy
India’s best-selling brandy has seen its sales continue to soar, displacing Hennessy cognac from the second place on the global brandy charts.
26. Royal Challenge
India consumes more whisky than any other country in the world, and Royal Challenge is among India’s best selling brands. This whisky is manufactured by United Spirits Ltd., a Diageo Group company, and is crafted with a blend of imported Scotch and select Indian malts.
25. 8PM Whisky
A popular Indian brand, 8PM is the flagship whisky from mega-distillery Radico Khaitan. The brand was featured in 2001’s LIMCA Book of Records for selling one million bottles in the year it launched, becoming the first liquor brand to do so.
24. Hlibny Dar Vodka
Hlibny Dar vodka, produced by Ukraine’s Bayadera Group, tops sales of the category in its home country. Bayadera Group boasts a widely-distributed portfolio of spirits and is the largest alcohol holding company in Eastern Europe — exporting its products to 45 countries.
23. Jägermeister
This German digestif is most commonly consumed as a shot, best served very cold. By forging new partnerships, Jäger is slowly but surely rebranding itself as a craft liqueur — a foil to its hard-partying reputation.
22. Morosha Vodka
This Ukrainian vodka has seen its zig-zag due to recent events but they surged over 50% in 2023.
21. Żubrówka Vodka
Żubrówka is a popular Polish vodka. The most-well known version, flavored with a blade of bison grass, is a cult favorite among bartenders.
20. Blender’s Pride Whisky
Launched by Seagram’s in 1995, this is one of the most popular blended whiskies in India. It features a heavy aroma with touches of fruit, wood and peat. The brand of Scotch whisky joined Pernod Ricard’s portfolio in 2001.
19. Aperol
This up-and-coming Italian bitter aperitivo has an unmistakable bright orange hue. Created in 1919, this spirit is the star of many an Aperol Spritz, as well as countless Instagram stories. Want to learn more? Check out our Unstoppable Spritz package to learn about the rise of Aperol in the United States.
18. Jameson Irish Whiskey
The world’s best-selling Irish Whiskey was ironically founded by a Scottish legal clerk. Only one Jameson distillery is in operation today, located in Cork, Ireland.
17. Jim Beam Bourbon
America’s best-selling Bourbon — if you don’t count Jack Daniel’s — Jim Beam is the leading brand in Suntory Global Spirits’ portfolio of global whiskeys.
16. Khortytsa Vodka
In 2019, this Ukrainian vodka brand sold upward of 176 million bottles domestically and to its export market of more than 87 countries. This global reach has placed the spirit among the top four best-selling vodkas in the world. Sales grew 17.1% in 2023, moving the brand up a few spots.
15. Absolut Vodka
Iconic for its stripped down branding and successful marketing campaigns, Absolut has been a mainstay on the American spirit market since 1979. Its logo was considered unconventional at the time of its release, as its divergence from more traditional Russian-inspired bottle designs dominant in the market made it stand out from the crowd.
14. Captain Morgan Rum
This spiced rum’s namesake doesn’t just exist in lore. In fact, Welsh-born Sir Henry Morgan was enlisted by the Queen herself to guard Spanish interests in the Caribbean sea. The ruthless and successful sailor led a group of pirates, eventually using his riches to buy land in Jamaica. The rum, according to Captain Morgan, tastes of vanilla, brown sugar, dried fruit, and warming spices with hints of oak.
13. Tito’s Handmade Vodka
America’s original “craft” vodka, Tito’s, is produced in Austin, Texas. Bert “Tito” Beveridge founded the brand in 1997, making it one of the younger brands on this roundup — all the more impressive that Tito’s moves up two spots from its list debut at the 15 spot last year.
12. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
Famed whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s is not only a popular spirit, but also a destination — attracting over 300,000 visitors to its Tennessee distillery annually. The brand has begun to diversify its portfolio recently, debuting canned whiskey cocktails in 2022.
11. Emperador Brandy
Leading the worldwide brandy market, Emperador is Filipino in origin. Emerperador was the Philippines’ first brandy label upon its release in 1990 and has steadily grown in popularity since.
The Top 10 Liquors
10. Bacardi Rum
Though its label designates it Puerto Rican, this rum was actually born in Cuba. Once the world’s best-selling rum, Bacardi has since been eclipsed by Tanduay.
9. Johnnie Walker Whisky
In a sea of single malts, Johnnie Walker is a proudly blended Scotch whisky. Johnnie Walker reportedly created the blend in an effort to produce a more consistent Scotch.
8. Imperial Blue Whisky
Imperial Blue Indian whisky is the largest brand by volume in Pernod Ricard’s portfolio, which acquired it in 2002. Its sub-$10 price point and smooth flavor make it a go-to for drinkers around the globe.
7. Tanduay Rum
Tanduay has held onto the title of the world’s most popular rum for more than five consecutive years. The Filipino rum is named for the location of its first distillery, Isla de Tanduay.
6. Officer’s Choice Whisky
Officer’s Choice, like its predecessor on this list, is an Indian whisky composed of both Scotch malt and Indian grain. Its parent brand, Allied Blenders & Distillers, debuted Officer’s Choice in 1988 and has seen its progressive growth in popularity in the decades since.
5. Smirnoff Vodka
The most popular vodka in the world, Smirnoff has long been recognized for its smooth taste and texture. While its unflavored variety is its most popular offering, Smirnoff’s flavored offerings and its Smirnoff Ice malt liquor soda have cemented it as a household name in both the vodka and RTD arenas.
4. Royal Stag Whisky
A member of global beverage giant Pernod Ricard’s portfolio, Royal Stag whiskey blends locally-sourced grain spirits and imported Scotch malts. The whiskey, distributed globally and finding its largest audience in India, is produced in Nepal.
3. McDowell’s No.1 Whisky
Diageo giant McDowell’s takes the cake in the whisky category, with its signature No.1 variety landing at the number three spot in terms of popularity for the second year running.
2. Ginebra San Miguel Gin
Ginebra San Miguel makes only one of two gins featured on this list, produced in a family-owned distillery in Manila, Philippines. Having entered the scene in 1834, Ginebra has successfully made a name for itself over nearly two centuries.
1. Jinro Soju
With one makguli and nine soju offerings, Jinro is the top-selling spirit brand in the world. Consumed both straight and in cocktails, Jinro is the quintessential soju in Korea and beyond, making its signature green bottle an emblem of the spirit.
