Diageo’s Smirnoff Vodka remains the biggest selling international brand in 2010, with a lead of over five million nine-litre cases on its nearest rival, Bacardi, according to the International Wine and Spirit Research’s Top 50 International Spirits Brands list.
The top three international brands remain unchanged on last year, with Bacardi in second and Johnnie Walker in third, growing over 1.2 million cases in 2010—the largest growth of any brand in the top 50. Diageo owns four of the top 10 internatinoal brands.
The Top 50 list follows a simple criterion: an international brand is considered to be a brand that can demonstrate sales of over 20,000 nine-litre cases in at least three geographical regions—including travel retail as one region, due to its inherently international nature. Brands are then ranked on their global sales volumes in nine-litre cases.
In the top 25, Pernod Ricard’s Havana Club is the fastest-growing brand, growing 12.4% in 2010. A further five brands in the top 50 grew by more than 10% in 2010: Jameson, Fernet-Branca, Blenders Pride, Russian Standard and Eristoff.
Three new entrants entered the list this year as they broaden their international availability. CEDC’s Green Mark Vodka, which sells primarily in Russia, and Ukranian vodka Khlibniy Dar, owned by Bayadera Group, have both entered high up, as positions four and nine respectively. Each have predominately old volumes in the CIS, but now sell more than 20,000 cases in the Middle East and Africa, primarily through increased sales in Israel.
Edrington’s Brugal joined the list through increased presence in travel retail; this became the brand’s third region to clock up over 20,000 cases in 2010, after the Americas—where the bulk of its sales are in its home, the Dominican Republic—and Europe, where Spain sees most sales.
