DI Annual Bar Report: All Time- Leagues

If our polling had started in 2013, Pierre Ferrand would be up there in the top three, but it didn’t, and thus the brand languishes in fifth.

SCOTCH

Johnnie Walker has proved to be untouchable over the eight years with a perfect eight top-place finishes. Chivas Regal has lost ground on its Diageo-owned foe in the past three years, with seventh, eighth and seventh-place finishes. No-shows from Dewar’s in 2016

and 2017 have seen it drop out of the all-time top three to be replaced by The Macallan – the all-time scotch list’s first single malt. Monkey Shoulder is not far behind.

AMERICAN WHISKEY

With top-four rankings in each of the eight years, Maker’s Mark has consistently been found to be a popular American whiskey brand at the world’s best bars. In second spot, and by dint of championship form from 2010-2012, Jack Daniel’s is a steady second, while Woodford Reserve enters our hall of champions for the first time, edging out Jim Beam. It’ll require more dominant performances from Bulleit before it manages to make the all-time list.

WORLD WHISK(E)Y

Jameson’s success in bars pre-dates Japanese whisky’s international success, and therefore it’s a long way ahead of its rivals. Interestingly, it is Yamazaki that has aggregately scored the best over the eight years ahead of Nikka, which has seen a recent flourish to take third. If Nikka keeps taking top honours in its category, it will likely leapfrog Yamazaki to second but will still be a lap or two behind Jameson.

GIN

Tanqueray and Beefeater have accrued exactly the same number of points in the gin category over the eight years, but we give the nod to Tanqueray. The Diageo gin is the form brand, having topped the last four gin lists. Bombay Sapphire may have lost out to Hendrick’s in the gin category over the past two years but has a stronger record over the eight years, including two first-place finishes in 2010 and 2011.

LIQUEURS

Cointreau, as the ingredient in many a cocktail, is a mile ahead of the competition in the liqueurs hall of fame. In second, because of its early dominance (three top finishes from 2010-2012), is Baileys, which next year looks likely to be knocked down a spot by St Germain, which finally joins the all-time top three after a strong category performance in the past four years. It has replaced Grand Marnier, which, like Baileys, has failed to register on our liqueurs top 10 lists in the past few years. Campari, champion of its category for the past two years, had a fallow period in our poll from 2010-2013 and is thus way back in the field.

TEQUILA

Something of a throwback, José Cuervo is still our tequila all-time leader, thanks to its winning form from 2010-2013. Don Julio has an inverted record, with three top spots in the past four years, meaning it is a whisker away from being our all-time champion. Olmeca, in third, will lose its place on the podium to Patrón, if both parties score similarly next year.