At the World Whiskies Awards presented in March of this year by the trade publication The Drinks Report, the winner in the World’s Best Single Malt category wasn’t from Scotland – birthplace of that type of whisky and almost universally considered to represent its apotheosis. It was an offering called M&H Elements, a whisky from…Israel.
Whisky (or whiskey – the spelling varies depending on its place of origin) is made all over the world these days, from Germany to Taiwan to Mexico – India boasts the world’s fastest-growing whisky distillation industry – and in all 50 states. (You might find local or regional American whiskies in the best bars in every state.)
The best-known producers, however, remain the ones that most whisky/whiskey-lovers think of first – Scotland, Ireland, Kentucky and Tennessee, Japan, and Canada. Those places also represent the whiskies that sell the most, at least in this country.
To compile a list of the 20 most popular whiskies in America, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a ranking published by the BevAlcInsights division of the online alcohol delivery service Drizly. The site has recorded the bottles it sold most often – it serves more than 2,500 cities in 41 states – between September 2022 and August 2023. (Two of these are among the most valuable liquor brands in the world.)
Note that the same whiskey sometimes appears in two places on the list, representing two different size bottles. More than half the examples here are Bourbon or Tennessee whiskey; two are Irish and there’s one Canadian, with the rest being Scotch. Prices are approximate, and will vary from city to city and even store to store.
20: Evan Williams Bourbon
> Size: 1.75L
> Price: $31
19: Johnnie Walker Black Label Blended Scotch
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $36
18: Crown Royal Fine Deluxe Blended Canadian Whisky
> Size: 1.75L
> Price: $66
17: Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $40
16: Jim Beam Bourbon
> Size: 1.75L
> Price: $37
15: Buffalo Trace Bourbon
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $52
14: Basil Hayden Kentucky Straight Bourbon
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $43
13: Hibiki Japanese Harmony Whisky
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $94
12: Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $35
11: Bulleit Bourbon
> Size: 1.75L
> Price: $59
10: Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $279
9: Maker’s Mark Bourbon
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $43
8: The Macallan Double Cask 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $81
7: Maker’s Mark Bourbon
> Size: 1.75L
> Price: $66
6: Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $191
5: Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $43
4: Jameson Irish Whiskey
> Size: 1.75L
> Price: $70
3: Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey
> Size: 1.75L
> Price: $55
2: Jameson Irish Whiskey
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $35
1: Bulleit Bourbon
> Size: 750ml
> Price: $40