It really wasn’t all that long ago, maybe a few decades at most, that bourbon was considered an American phenomenon, with other whiskeys preferred globally.
Of course, bourbon must still be made in America, as the laws regulating its existence dictate, but it can be consumed all around the world. And it is, in shockingly high numbers.
Thanks to the bourbon boom of the 21st century, bourbon demand has skyrocketed not only here in the U.S. but around the world, too. So much so, in fact, that the bestselling world whiskey brand in 2023 was not from Japan, Ireland or Canada, but rather a brand from a Kentucky distillery best known for producing cheap bourbon.
Jim Beam is the top world whiskey brand
That’s right. Good old Jim Beam, whose flagship bourbon retails for less than $20 per 750ml bottle, is the best-selling world whiskey brand in the world according to The Spirit Business’s Brand Champions Report for 2024.
What exactly is a world whiskey? According to The Spirits Business’s categorization, these are whiskeys produced in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Ireland. Scotch whisky from Scotland and Indian whisky each have their own separate categories.
