Americans sure love their whiskey. Last year, U.S. whiskey sales jumped 4 percent.
Yet, a big part of the growth belongs to higher-end brands. This includes whiskeys such as Bulleit bourbon, Woodford Reserve bourbon, Wild Turkey bourbon and Jameson Irish whiskey.
These four all posted double-digit sales growth in the past year, according to data from IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm.
Many of the top whiskey brands no longer are independent distillers, but rather part of larger entities. Take Bulleit, for example, which is owned by London-based Diageo plc. Diageo owns other popular brands, such as Captain Morgan rum and Johnnie Walker Scotch.
And then there’s Louisville-based Brown-Forman Corp., which owns not only Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, but also Canadian Mist and Woodford Reserve. The larger spirits companies are investing in marketing efforts that are helping to drive increased sales of their brands.
20. Buchanan's Scotch whisky
19. Rich and Rare Canadian whisky
18. Kessler American whiskey
17. Woodford Reserve bourbon whiskey
16. Dewar's Scotch whiskey
15. Canadian Club whisky
14. Canadian Mist whisky
13. Southern Comfort American whiskey
12. Bulleit bourbon whiskey
11. Wild Turkey bourbon whiskey
10. Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky
