Now, after hitting the top three last year, it sits pride of place at the top of our bestselling brands list, breaking the duopoly of Maker’s Mark and Bulleit. It’s a brand loved by the industry, a common feature on our Bartenders’ Choice ranking and recently declared The World’s Most Admired Whiskey. Now that admiration has translated into volumes in the world’s best bars. It was house pour in 16% of bars and a top-three serve in a third.
It was that strength in depth that put Michter’s clear of Diageo’s Bulleit which takes second place for the third year running. It was the house pour in 17% of bars but less likely to be a brand call. It was a second or third-choice whiskey in just 13% of our polled bars.
Last year’s number one, Maker’s Mark completes the podium. The Suntory Global Spirits brand lost some share as a house pour but was still a top-three bestseller in 31% of the polled bars. Woodford Reserve takes fourth place thanks to a strong showing as a name call. It was house pour in just 5% of bars but a second or third bestseller in 28% showing it’s a useful bottle to have on the back bar. Now Michter’s has taken the crown it will be interesting to see if it can retain it. With the threat of tariffs looming, the category could be in store for a shake-up. How that might translate in the world’s best bars remains to be seen.
How we did it
To collect the data we curate a 100-strong sample of bars from an even geographical split which have featured in recent editions of The Word’s 50 Best Bars (1-100) and Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, plus regional awards such as North America and Asia’s 50 Best Bars and national awards such as the Class Bar Awards. To ensure the best global coverage, about 5% of the 100 were ‘editor’s picks’ – highly rated bars in regions less represented to assure a truly global data pool reflective of the current bar industry.
Of course, the panel rotates each year to not only ensure a fair and accurate set of results, but represent the current geography of the industry’s best bars year on year.
As part of the survey, we ask each bar owner or head bartender to revise their sales spreadsheets and rank the three bestselling products in each spirit, beer, wine and mixer category. A bestselling brand, even in the best bars in the world, earns its place on more than taste, so we also wanted to know the brands that are not necessarily doing huge volumes but are on trend. This is where the trending lists come in. Within these tables are the brands customers are increasingly asking for, perhaps because of word of mouth or even on bartenders’ recommendations. Often the brands that figure highly in the trending list move on to the bestselling list the following year, as curiosity and excitement transition to weight of sales.
To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.
The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.
