This year almost two thirds of our sample of the world’s best bars stocked a brandy that wasn’t cognac, with more than a third attesting to offering two and just under a third with three or more. Not, then, an insignificant category in the world of bars.
Torres Brandy, as last year, tops our list. The wine and brandy producer has refocused on the bar trade in recent years, harnessing its ever impressive national bar scenes. Torres Brandy takes you from 5 Year Old through the age statements to 30 Year Old, at persuasive prices. In almost a third of cases it was the brand bars opt for and was a top-three brandy pour in 42%. It also tops the trending list.
Strictly speaking Metaxa isn’t a brandy – it’s an aged wine distillate with botanicals – but is loosely thought of as a brandy, so we include it here. The Greek spirit has a long running record of working with the bar trade on advocacy programmes, including cocktail competitions. In our poll 19% made Metaxa the house brandy, with 26% saying it was a top-three choice.
New to the market and this list is Seven Tails. Launched by Joel Fraser (ex-owner of Cu ink Club in Singapore), it has a founder who is fully immersed in the trade, peddling a product that offers something new to the category. A blend of cognac, armagnac and other French brandies, finished in port casks, this XO has quickly found a home in the bar. Only 11% had it as a top-three brandy, but in almost all of those bars it was the number one brandy seller.
For the bartender wanting a rich, oak profile the brandy de Jerez Cardenal Mendoza is a popular choice. Aged in sherry casks, this brandy’s entry level is 15 years. Thirteen per cent had it as a top-three choice, but, given its powerful profile, very few made it their house. Sharing similar numbers was Ysabel Regina in fifth. This hybrid blend of cognac and Spanish brandy could be on the up – it comes second in our trending list.
Methodology
The results of this report are the culmination of a questionnaire of 106 bars around the world, each cherry-picked to take part based on their performance in global bar awards. We aim to find out not only which brands sell best but also what’s trending. These two data sets give us an insight into the brands that are doing the most volume and the brands that are hot right now.
To read more on the methodology of the Brands Report click here.
