While American whiskey (especially bourbon) continues to soar, Scotch has had a hard time finding its footing in the U.S. market. After growing by 2 percent to 5.8 million cases in U.S. sales last year, blended Scotch whisky volume is down 3 percent in control states so far this year, according to Impact Databank. However, some brands have still managed to prosper in 2023.
Brands that seem to fare well in the current blended Scotch landscape are those still innovating and continuing to launch new releases. For example, the fastest-growing Scotch brand in control states so far in 2023 has been Buchanan’s, which is in the Diageo portfolio. This growth has largely been driven by the release of its new pineapple-flavored expression, which proved to be a popular addition to the brand’s lineup.
“Buchanan’s Pineapple is now the number-one core spirits innovation in the last year,” Diageo North America CEO Sally Grimes told Shanken News Daily. “It’s driving new recruitment to both the trademark and the category. Initial consumer data shows that 80 percent of these consumers are new to buying Buchanan’s within the last year and 50 percent of these consumers had not purchased Scotch in the past year.”
Johnnie Walker continues to lead the category in U.S. sales, with Johnny Walker Black accounting for more than half the brand’s volume. In the second spot is Bacardi-owned Dewar’s, which has debuted several higher-end releases this year including Dewar’s Double Double 37 and Double Double 21.
“We’ve built a steady pipeline of premium innovations over the past few years that has helped grow the brand, most recently the launch of our reimagined Dewar’s 12-year-old just last year,” vice president of Dewar’s for North America Brian Cox told Shanken News Daily.
Here’s where the best-selling blended Scotch brands stand stateside.
The Most Popular Blended Scotch Whiskies in the U.S.
| Rank | Brand Name | Total 2022 Depletions* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnnie Walker | 2,000 |
| 2 | Dewar’s | 1,073 |
| 3 | Buchanan’s | 655 |
| 4 | Clan MacGregor | 270 |
| 5 | Chivas Regal | 239 |
| 6 | Old Smuggler | 136 |
*Thousands of 9-liter cases.
Source: IMPACT DATABANK © 2023
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