Johnnie Walker still on top for bars but blended whisky struggles

Johnnie Walker remains on top as the best selling whisky brand but blends in general are struggling with the recent upsurge in interest in single malt, according to Drink's International's Annual Bar Report.

Published 13th Jan 2017
Updated 21 st Sep 2023

The world's best selling Scotch whisky brand, Johnnie Walker, has come top of the list for bars for the past eight years and shows no sign of being toppled from its perch.

Other blends however, have not been as fortunate, with the continuing interest in single malts seeing the Scotch list, which in 2013 showed seven blends and three single malts in the top 10, now being inverted as brands like Glenfiddich and Laphroaig make their way onto the leader board.

The Annual Bar Report aims to "gauge the buying habits of the best bars in the world" by conducting a survey of their owners, head bartenders and bar managers.

The bars chosen are what Drink's International refer to as the "best bars in the world",  are a sample of 108 bars that finished in the top 250 places of the World’s 50 Best Bars, which DI believes is the most credible place to source their sample of bars.

Each bartender was then asked to rank their three best selling products in each category, giving us an indication of the brands that are selling best.

The report says: "Most impressive is the brand’s ability to project an image of size and elegance – it is a go-to scotch for the middle-income masses and the high-end cocktail bartender.

"As part of Diageo’s Reserve Brand portfolio, around 250,000 bartenders have been exposed to the brand in World Class training and competition.

"So when people ask about the return on investment of this hugely expensive competition, Diageo might point in mitigation to this list. Walker is the top selling scotch in twice as many polled bars as its nearest competitor."

 

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