Asia dominates world’s best-selling spirits brands

South Korea’s leading soju label ‘Jinro’ owned by Hite Jinro has topped the world’s best-selling spirits brands by volume list by IWSR, outranking brands from Diageo and Pernod Ricard.

According to the latest IWSR study, Asian spirits took up nine places on the top 10 list, with Smirnoff being the only non-Asian spirits listed.

Korean soju maker Jinro was ranked as the top-selling spirit brand in the world by volume for the second time in a row. The company supplied 75.91 million 9-litre cases last year, up 0.8% from a year ago, according to IWSR.

Thailand’s Ruang Khao, owned by Thai Beverage, rose one place from 2016’s ranking to become the second-most popular spirit brand by volume according to the London-based IWSR. A total of 31.75 million 9-litre cases of the Thai rum were sold last year, surpassing India’s Officer’s Choice owned by Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD), whose sales volume arrived at 31.51 million 9-litre cases.

Thai Beverage is one of only two companies to have two brands in the top 10. Hong Thong, a Thai whisky, was ranked No. 8 with 21.2 million 9-litre cases sold last year.

Emperador brandy came in fourth with 28.75 million cases sold, ahead of McDowell’s, the Indian whisky brand owned by Diageo.

Smirnoff vodka by Diageo, the only global brand on the list, sold a total of 25.63 million cases across 155 countries last year, making it the sixth most popular spirits brand.

Korean company Lotte Liquor’s overall sales of its soju ‘Chum Churum’, rose by 2.2% to 25.51 million 9-litre cases, landing it in seventh position on the list.

Pernod Ricard’s Indian whisky brand Imperial Blue came in ninth with 18.8 million cases sold, followed by ‘Good Day’ soju by Muhak.