Sometimes I wonder if travel is in fact just a vehicle for me to drink and indeed try new liquor brands! And this is no easy task as there are quite literally thousands and thousands of the buggers.
To make things easier though and because so many are just awful I have put together a list of the top selling liquor brands in the world, to aid ye drinkers out there.
Table of Contents
The Top Selling Liquor Brands in the world
OK, so to keep this useful and interesting I have operated the genre into vodka, whisky, cognac, gin, and rum with beer and wine thrown in as little bonuses. Under each category I have listed the top 3 within it.
And the grand finale consists of the biggest selling liquor brand in the world. This one is truly a head fuck when you take everything into consideration.
Top 3 selling vodkas in the world
- Smirnoff – Russia/USA
Sold literally everywhere, sweet, clean, mixes with anything, and moves massive volume worldwide. - Absolut – Sweden
Smooth, stylish, iconic bottle, great for cocktails, huge marketing appeal, globally recognised. - Stolichnaya – Russia
Classic Russian vodka, strong, respected worldwide. Good straight or in cocktails, widely consumed.
Top 3 selling whiskies in the world
- Jack Daniel’s – USA/Tennessee
Sweet, smoky, universally loved, cocktail friendly, available in almost every bar. - Johnnie Walker – Scotland
Red Label dominates globally, consistent, smooth, widely exported, excellent in mixed drinks. - McDowell’s No.1 Whisky – India
Huge domestic market, cheap, smooth, consumed by the millions, dominates Indian whisky market.
Top 3 selling cognac/brandies in the world
- Hennessy – France
Global cognac leader, smooth, iconic, seen in clubs, bars, and luxury markets worldwide. - Rémy Martin – France
XO and VSOP popular, smooth, classy, global reputation, often consumed at celebrations. - Emperador – Philippines
Sweet, approachable, huge in Asia, popular in bars and homes, moves massive volume.
Top 3 selling gins in the world
- Gordon’s – UK
Reliable, classic, cheap, works in every G&T, widely available. - Tanqueray – UK
Juniper-heavy, punchy, cocktail favourite, globally recognised, highly respected by bartenders. - Bombay Sapphire – UK
Stylish blue bottle, versatile, global recognition, excellent in cocktails, widely consumed.
Top 3 selling rum brands in the world
- Bacardi – Puerto Rico
Light, dark, gold. Backbone of cocktails, sold everywhere, consistently popular. - Captain Morgan – Jamaica
Spiced, smooth, cocktail favourite, casual drinker appeal, global distribution. - Tanduay – Philippines
Sweet, approachable, huge in Asia, moves massive volume, popular in homes and bars.
3 Best selling beers in the world 2025
- Snow Beer – China
Volume monster, cheap, light, ubiquitous in China, massive consumption numbers. - Budweiser – USA
Classic lager, globally exported, reliable, consistent taste, widely consumed. - Tsingtao – China
Easy-drinking, exported massively, popular in Asia and worldwide, high volume.
3 top selling wines of 2025
- Barefoot – USA
Cheap, cheerful, casual wine, widely available, popular for everyday drinking. - Yellow Tail – Australia
Fruity, easy-drinking, huge export success, consistent quality, globally recognised. - Gallo – USA
Californian giant, reliable, widely sold, consistent taste, popular internationally.
The best selling liquor brand in the whole world
So, you should have worked this out if you read all the way to here, but if not be prepared for some serious curveballs.
The top-selling liquor in the world by volume is Jinro, the Korean soju brand. Not vodka, not Scotch, not rum, not cognac. Jinro moves billions of bottles every year, mostly in South Korea, China, and other Asian markets.
Sweet, cheap, easy to drink, and absolutely everywhere. Smirnoff, Jack Daniel’s, and Hennessy look tiny in comparison. In fact Soju is quite the phenomenon and can be linked to Korean sift power. Still when you consider that it is mostly drunk in South Korea only (north Korea has its own thing) then you really have to respect Korean drinking culture.
Click to see my North Korea Tours with YPT.