Maker’s Mark Simply Topped the Record of Greatest-Promoting American Whiskeys

American whiskey sales might have been overtaken by agave spirits here in its home country, but the category continues to do big business around the world. Industry news website Drinks International just published its list of the bestselling American whiskey around the world, and the results might surprise you with Maker’s Mark taking the number one spot.

The list focuses specifically on whiskey sold at bars, so essentially it indicates what consumers are most thirsty for when they visit on premise establishments. Drinks International polled 100 bars in 33 countries for this survey, selecting places that have appeared on esteemed lists like the World’s 50 Best Bars and Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Maker’s Mark might seem like an unexpected whiskey to take the top spot on this list given the massive sales and name recognition that brands like Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam White Label lay claim to. Maker’s and Jim Beam are both owned by Beam Suntory, and while White Label has been a go-to, bottom-shelf “shot and a beer” bourbon for many years, Maker’s has had less of an imprint and is priced higher. Apparently, drinkers are willing to pay a little more for better bourbon, which gave Maker’s the edge over some of its cheaper and more widely available competitors.

The rest of the list is made up of well-known American whiskey brands from major Kentucky and Tennessee distilleries, so don’t expect any craft or American single malts on here and it looks like only one rye whiskey made the grade. The complete list is as follows:

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year and if there is any change to this list–most likely that would be a few brands trading spots, but likely no major addition or subtraction to really shake things up. Still, you never know, an excellent blender like Barrell Craft Spirits could explode in popularity and make the cut in 2024.