The best-selling whisky brand in the world is no longer Jack Daniel’s or Johnnie Walker: Indian brands McDowell’s No.1, Royal Stag and Imperial Blue took the top three places in the latest annual volume ranking, which covers 2024 sales. Together those three sold about 86 million cases. Johnnie Walker ranks fourth and Officer’s Choice fifth. This list shows the top 10, with dated volumes where we could verify them.
| Rank | Brand | Style | Latest volume we could verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Ballantine’s | Scotch | Ranked tenth in 2024 |
| 9 | Blender’s Pride | Indian whisky | Ranked ninth in 2024 |
| 8 | Crown Royal | Canadian whisky | Top Canadian brand in the US |
| 7 | Jameson | Irish whiskey | Over 8 million cases in 2019 |
| 6 | Jack Daniel’s | Tennessee whiskey | 12.9 million cases of Black Label in 2017 |
| 5 | Officer’s Choice | Indian whisky | Ranked fifth in 2024 |
| 4 | Johnnie Walker | Scotch | Ranked fourth in 2024 |
| 3 | Imperial Blue | Indian whisky | Ranked third in 2024 |
| 2 | Royal Stag | Indian whisky | Ranked second in 2024 |
| 1 | McDowell’s No.1 | Indian whisky | Ranked first in 2024 volumes |
How we built this list: ranks 1 to 5 follow the 2025 volume ranking of 2024 sales. The trade ranking also puts Blender’s Pride at ninth and Ballantine’s at tenth, but we could not read who holds sixth to eighth. We fill those three places with Jack Daniel’s, Jameson and Crown Royal, using the latest company volumes we could verify, so ranks 6 to 8 are approximate. Cases are nine-litre cases.
The big change since our first version: in the 2013 data Jack Daniel’s was number one at 11 million cases. Indian whiskies, sold mostly in India, have since pulled far ahead on volume. In 2013 Officer’s Choice became the largest-selling whisky in the world, overtaking Johnnie Walker, and in 2015 it became the world’s largest-selling spirit brand. Thirteen of the top 30 whiskies are now Indian, and together they sold about 156 million cases in 2024, nearly 60% of the top 30’s volume.
10. Ballantine’s
Ballantine’s, a blended Scotch also owned by Pernod Ricard, ranked tenth in the 2025 volume ranking of 2024 sales, which makes it one of the few Western brands in the global top 10. We rank it tenth to match the trade ranking.
9. Blender’s Pride
Blender’s Pride is an Indian whisky from Pernod Ricard’s Indian portfolio, ranked ninth in the 2025 ranking of 2024 volumes. It is one of the group’s five core brands for India.
8. Crown Royal
Crown Royal is Canada’s best-known whisky, owned by Diageo. Seagram’s president Samuel Bronfman launched it in 1938 to mark the royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It is still the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States, and the brand launched Crown Royal Marquis, finished in Caribbean rum casks, in 2025.
The whisky is aged in about 1.7 million barrels in 56 warehouses in Manitoba.
7. Jameson
Jameson is by far the best-selling Irish whiskey in the world, made at the New Midleton Distillery in County Cork by Irish Distillers, part of Pernod Ricard. Annual sales passed 8 million cases in 2019 for the first time. It passed 1 million cases in 1996 and 3 million in 2010.
Irish Distillers said in May 2023 that it would stop exporting Jameson to Russia.
6. Jack Daniel’s
Jack Daniel’s Black Label Tennessee Whiskey sold 12.9 million nine-litre cases in 2017, and the whole Jack Daniel’s family, including Tennessee Honey, Tennessee Apple and Gentleman Jack, reached more than 16.1 million cases. It is the flagship of Brown-Forman.
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple reportedly grew from 0.9 million cases in 2024 to 1.1 million in 2025.
5. Officer’s Choice
Owned by Allied Blenders & Distillers, Officer’s Choice sold 23.8 million cases in 2013 and 28.3 million cases in 2014. In 2015 it overtook Smirnoff to become the largest-selling spirit brand in the world, and it ranked fifth among whiskies in the 2025 ranking.
4. Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker is the world’s highest-selling Scotch whisky. It began when John Walker opened a grocery shop in Kilmarnock in 1820, and his son Alexander and grandson Alexander II built it into a global brand. Owned by Diageo, it ranked fourth in 2024 and has rebounded in recent years.
Red Label is the most popular expression. Diageo opened the Johnnie Walker Princes Street visitor attraction in Edinburgh in September 2021.
3. Imperial Blue
Imperial Blue is another Pernod Ricard brand from India, ranked third in 2024. Together with McDowell’s and Royal Stag it sold about 86 million cases.
2. Royal Stag
Royal Stag is the best-known whisky in Pernod Ricard’s Indian portfolio, one of five core Indian brands for the group. It sold 12.3 million cases in 2011, which made it the group’s biggest brand at the time, and it ranked second in 2024.
1. McDowell’s No.1
McDowell’s No.1 is the flagship umbrella brand of the Indian spirits business and was ranked the world’s top whisky by volume in the 2025 ranking of 2024 sales. The No.1 brand originally launched with brandy in 1963 to 1964, and the same name now covers whisky, rum and brandy.
Jim Beam, the world’s best-known bourbon from Beam Suntory, has fallen from our old top 10. In December 2025 the company announced it would pause production at its main Clermont, Kentucky distillery for a year from 1 January 2026 because of a downturn in whiskey consumption and exports. That is a sign of how much the market has shifted since our 2013 list.
What changed in the whiskey market?
Three shifts matter. First, India dominates on volume because of its population and local tastes, even though most Indian brands are rarely seen abroad. Second, the traditional American and Scotch giants are growing slower, and some have cut production. Third, flavoured whiskies such as Tennessee Apple are one of the few growth areas for Jack Daniel’s.
Our view: volume is not the same as quality or value. A top-selling brand tells you what people drink every day, not what is worth collecting. Which one is your favourite? Tell us in the comments.
FAQ
What is the best-selling whisky in the world?
McDowell’s No.1, followed by Royal Stag and Imperial Blue, according to the 2025 ranking of 2024 sales. Together the top three sold about 86 million cases.
Is Jack Daniel’s still the best-selling whiskey?
Not worldwide. It is the best-selling American whiskey brand, but several Indian whiskies sell more cases.
What is the best-selling Scotch?
Johnnie Walker, ranked fourth among all whiskies in 2024.
What is the best-selling Irish whiskey?
Jameson, which passed 8 million nine-litre cases in 2019.
What is a case of whiskey?
A standard nine-litre case, or 12 bottles of 750ml.
Why are Indian whiskies at the top?
India has a huge domestic market, and 13 of the world’s top 30 whiskies are Indian, selling about 156 million cases in 2024.
Last updated: October 2026.
