In North American whiskey, Jack Daniel’s continues to forge ahead, breaking through the 12m-case barrier with healthy 4% growth. Cunnington reports the brand has excelled domestically and in the UK, France and Poland. But the real excitement around this category is born out of the global spread of high- end brands, just short of the million- case mark, rather than the established lower-level players, such as Seagram’s Seven Crown and Canadian pair Black Velvet and Canadian Mist.

“Bulleit, Knob Creek and Woodford Reserve are growing strongly at the expense of economy brands,” says Cunnington, “while Canadian whiskey suffers from its poor man’s image and narrow geographic spread.”