INTERNATIONAL. The volume of spirits sold in travel retail grew by +4.9% in 2017, according to new research from IWSR. The healthy rise was reported as the drinks market analyst prepared to reveal the top 100 selling spirits brands in the channel.
Diageo’s Johnnie Walker was once again the leading brand, selling almost two and a half times the volume of its nearest challenger. It sold more than 2.5 million nine-litre cases in travel retail during 2017, recording a +4.2% increase in volumes for the year.
IWSR noted that this was largely driven by growth of +5% to +7% for each of the brand’s leading variants: Black, Red, Double Black and Gold. It also revealed that Johnnie Walker achieved double-digit growth in its biggest duty free market, the Gulf, and in other key markets including Singapore, Malaysia, the Levant, Africa and Russia.
Meanwhile, the strong performance of Jack Daniel’s in 2017, during which it sold over 1 million cases (a rise of +17%), saw it leapfrog Chivas Regal to move back into second position in the rankings. IWSR said that the introduction of new lines and exclusive items has maintained momentum for the brand.
Another significant riser in the top ten was Pernod Ricard’s Scotch whisky brand, Ballantine’s, which climbed from 9th to 7th place. IWSR observed that the launch of the brand’s first limited-edition product exclusively in the South Korea travel retail market, along with the introduction of a 30-year-old Cask edition, helped drive sales growth in Asia.
The IWSR study also found that the ten largest spirits brands in travel retail hold 36% of the total travel retail spirits market and 45% of the volumes held by the top 100 brands.
Note: The full Top 100 Travel-Retail Spirits Brands list will be published exclusively in the September issue of IWSR Magazine.
