Spirits rising: Smirnoff tops 2011 'millionaire’s club' of world brands
With 180 brands both local and global represented in the rankings, it might surprise some to know that (despite a 4.5% volume decline in 2011) Jinro’s eponymous soju brand is the world biggest-selling liquor by volume with 61.38m nine-litre cases sold.
Diageo vodka brand Smirnoff comes a distant second (24.7m cases, 1.2% growth), while local soju, brandy, rum and whisky brands dominate the higher reaches of Euromonitor’s rankings.
Thus, we’ve pared the list down to the Top 10 global brands by virtue of global sales. So here are the global millionaires.
“This year’s list also saw a tie in terms of companies with the most millionaire brands – both Pernod Ricard and United Spirits boast 22,” according to Jeremy Cunnington, Euromonitor senior drinks analyst.
He added: "Pernod Ricard saw its number increase by one with the addition of its local Brazilian vodka, Orloff, while United Spirits added two – a new gin in Carew Dry and a more premium brandy, McDowell’s VSOP.”
