In the world’s best bars, for cognac it’s long been Hennessy’s world, with the other brands simply living in it. Well, no more. The LVMH flagship has topped our bestselling table every year since we began recording in 2010 but there’s a new top dog. 

Rémy Martin has invested heavily in its presence at the top end of the bar world, sponsoring a Legend of the List award at The World’s 50 Best Bars alongside an array of international takeovers with top talent.

That engagement has paid off in toppling one of the Brands Report’s longest-standing dynasties.

That’s not to say it wasn’t close. Rémy Martin was the bestselling cognac in a touch more than 30% of our polled bars, to Hennessy’s 25%, while Hennessy was more likely to be a second or third bestseller – an indication that if a guest requests a cognac by name, it’s still most likely to be a Henny.

Pernod Ricard’s Martell returns to a medal position after a year off the podium. Its position as a quality brand at a competitive price earns it the role of house pour in 12% of our polled bars.

While the top position is a break from tradition, the top four offers more stability. Courvoisier in fourth place ensures that, for the first time since 2020, the category’s ‘big four’ houses sit atop our bestselling list. The brand hasn’t set the category alight since its big money move to Campari Group, a house pour in just 4%, but commonly offers added depth. 

Elsewhere, Cognac Ferrand drops to its lowest ranking since 2020 and there are debuts for D’Ussé, De Luze & Fils and Fussigny. 

How we did it

The Brands Report has been released every January for the past 16 years and aims to provide data analytics into the buying habits of consumers in the world’s best bars.

To collect the data, we first curate a sample of industry-acclaimed bars from a combination of The World’s 50 Best Bars and its regional North America and Asia lists.

In order to ensure the best global coverage, about 5% of the poll were ‘editor’s picks’ – highly rated bars in regions less represented to assure a truly global data pool reflective of the current bar industry. Each year the panel rotates to ensure a fair and accurate set of results.

As part of the survey, we ask each bar owner or head bartender to dig out their sales spreadsheets and rank the three bestselling products in each spirits category, as well as beer, champagne and mixers. The bestselling list is based on hard data, while top trending is more subjective – the brand which isn’t necessarily shifting big volumes but is seen as in vogue by each bar. Often, the brands that figure highly in the trending list move on to the bestselling list the following year, as curiosity and excitement transition to weight of sales.

We also ask our poll to declare the house pour in some of the world’s bestselling classic cocktails. The drinks are chosen to specifically represent major spirits categories and are generally big hitters in the Cocktail Report’s list of the 50 bestselling classic cocktails, due to launch in spring.

To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.

The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.