There have been ups and downs for native spirits final yr, however one model remained head and shoulders above the remaining.
Making a world breakthrough can show a problem for domestically produced spirits like Chinese language baijiu and Korean soju. These spirits could rule the roost on their house turf, however as spirits like whisky and Tequila assert themselves away from their essential markets, maybe the likes of baijiu and soju must observe swimsuit.
Soju is already on its approach, making floor in each the US and the UK with its two largest gamers, Hite-Jinro and Lotte Liquor. Distinctive flavours and a willingness to discover new issues are trending amongst youthful shoppers (particularly Technology Z). These tendencies are opening the door for native spirits to make a reputation for themselves outdoors of their home markets.
Chilean pisco is one other spirit that leads the way in which domestically, however is beginning to discover life overseas, with a renewed push within the UK. Trying round the remainder of the world, the only real cachaça model on this yr’s record struggled, whereas Diageo’s two raki manufacturers noticed contrasting outcomes.
Proceed studying to see the most important performers from The Model Champions 2025 report.
The information is listed to 1 decimal place for ease of studying, however the proportion adjustments have been calculated on the total knowledge equipped. All knowledge is recorded in thousands and thousands of nine-litre instances.
Proprietor: Diageo
Quantity: 2020: 0.6m | 2021: 0.9m | 2022: 0.9m | 2023: 1.1m | 2024: 1.1m
% change: 4.8%
Place final yr: 9
The primary of Diageo’s Raki manufacturers on this record, Tekirdag Raki, is now promoting almost double the variety of instances because it did again in 2020.
Regardless of this progress, at 4.8%, its development final yr was small compared with the yr prior, when it handed a million instances for the primary time and elevated its gross sales by 12.9%.
Proprietor: Diageo
Quantity: 2020: 0.9m | 2021: 1.2m | 2022: 1.3m | 2023: 1.4m | 2024: 1.5m
% change: 4.3%
Place final yr: 8
Final yr’s Native Spirits Model Champion and one other Diageo model, Shui Jing Fang baijiu continues to develop at a constant tempo – now at 1.5m instances bought.
Baijiu gross sales are down in its house base of China, which accounts for greater than 95% of the spirit’s consumption. In line with knowledge from IWSR on the Asia Pacific area, spirits in China are anticipated to say no at a compound annual development fee of 1% over the subsequent 10 years.
On the optimistic facet, overseas markets have been recognised as a possible avenue for additional development.
Proprietor: Diageo
Quantity: 2020: 2.1m | 2021: 2.3m | 2022: 2.3m | 2023: 2.3m | 2024: 2.0m
% change: -12.7%
Place final yr: 6
Yeni is Diageo’s largest raki model, exceeding Tekirdağ, Kulüp, Altinbaş, İzmir, Civan, Vefa and Tayfa and having moved greater than 2m instances yearly for the previous 5 years.
This standing may very well be set to vary, nevertheless, based mostly on this yr’s figures. The model is teetering on the sting of 2m, with a double-digit drop of 12.7%, with final yr marking the model’s weakest for the reason that flip of the last decade. In its house base of Turkey, pricing changes have been made in response to inflation, which Diageo famous in its monetary report for fiscal 2024 has led to a quantity decline in raki.
Proprietor: Compañia Pisquera de Chile
Quantity: 2020: 1.6m | 2021: 2.3m | 2022: 2.4m | 2023: 2.3m | 2024: 2.3m
% change: 0.9%
Place final yr: 7
Exports of Chilean pisco have been growing at a gradual fee over time. The identical will be stated of Mistral, the pisco owned and produced by Compañia Pisquera de Chile.
Whereas it’s a lot increased than the place it was in 2020, the model is simply behind its highs of 2022. Maybe a push within the UK, the place exports of pisco have jumped by 100% compared with the yearly common over the previous 5 years since 2019, may very well be the place it makes its subsequent leap.
Proprietor: Asahi Breweries
Quantity: 2020: 3.6m | 2021: 3.4m | 2022: 3.3.m | 2023: 3.3m | 2024: 2.8m
% change: -15.2%
Place final yr: 4
After holding agency final yr, ending a streak of three straight years of decline, shōchū model Kanoka let its grip on three million instances slip, transferring all the way down to 2.8m. The 15.2% drop represents the steepest on this record.
Kanoka shōchūs are stated by mum or dad firm Asahi Breweries to be ‘extremely fragrant’ owing to their yeast choice and breeding strategies. The model gives totally different variations created from barley, rice and candy potatoes.
Proprietor: Diageo
Quantity: 2020: 4.2m | 2021: 3.6m | 2022: 3.7m | 2023: 3.3m | 2024: 3.0m
% change: -7.7%
Place final yr: 5
Ypióca could have jumped up a spot on this yr’s native spirits rankings, however that shall be a really minor comfort prize for Diageo’s main cachaça model. The lofty heights of 2020 really feel distant for a model that was as soon as promoting greater than 4m instances. Now at 3m, its drop was 7.7%.
Within the model’s house market of Brazil, Diageo’s internet gross sales grew by 12% in fiscal 2024. Nonetheless, it was Scotch, not the nationwide spirit of cachaça, that was credited with the rise – primarily Johnnie Walker and Previous Parr.
Proprietor: Sanwa Shurui
Quantity: 2020: 7.1m | 2021: 7.0m | 2022: 7.0m | 2023: 6.5m | 2024: 6.2m
% change: -3.4%
Place final yr: 3
The slide continues for Sanwa Shurui’s shōchū, though its 3.4% fall was a small one compared with the opposite shōchū on this record. It stays the biggest-selling shōchū in The Model Champions.
Shōchū’s troubles may very well be extra of a class subject than a model subject, although, with many calling for extra advertising help. Iichiko itself has taken on the initiative up to now yr, launching a cocktail competitors and focusing on the US on-trade because it bids to enter the mainstream as a go-to spirit for cocktails.
Proprietor: Lotte Liquor
Quantity: 2020: 19.9m | 2021: 19.0m | 2022: 26.0m | 2023: 27.0m | 2024: 27.5m
% change: 1.6%
Place final yr: 2
Of all native spirits classes, Korean soju appears to be trending finest with worldwide shoppers. A shining instance is Lotte Liquor’s Chum Churum, which has skilled steady development over the previous 5 years. In 2024, the model reached 27.5m 9-litre instances after a 1.6% enhance.
America’s current fixation with Korean tradition, led by Okay-Pop and Okay-Dramas, has helped the soju’s reputation immensely. In the beginning of 2024, Lotte partnered with the spirits arm of California-based Gallo for its US distribution. Within the interval since, its soju manufacturers Soonhari (flavoured) and Chum Churum (unflavoured) rocketed by 700% in quantity within the area, within the yr to March 2025.
Gainedkuk Lee, a part of Lotte Chilsung Beverage’s soju model advertising group, sees the US as “probably the most promising markets within the coming years” for the model, whereas for the mid-long time period, the concept is firmly about “increasing the worldwide market past home Korea”.
Proprietor: Hite-Jinro
Quantity: 2020: 95.3m | 2021: 94.5m | 2022: 100.9m | 2023: 97.4m | 2024: 96.8m
% change: -0.6%
Place final yr: 1
Regardless of the tiniest of drops, at 0.6%, Jinro continues to be mild years forward of the remainder of the pack because the world’s best-selling native spirits model. It’s greater than thrice greater than its fellow soju model Lotte Liquor. Its enormous gross sales additionally make it the world’s biggest-selling spirit, in line with knowledge supplied for our Model Champions experiences.
If Lotte Liquor is locked in on the US, Jinro’s proprietor Hite-Jinro has its eyes on the UK, increasing its visibility within the area with an activation at this yr’s Style of London competition to go along with its continued presence at All Factors East competition. The model now has listings in UK supermarkets Sainsbury’s, Costco, Morrisons, and Tesco.
As a part of its plans to ‘globalise soju’, building is underway on the corporate’s first abroad manufacturing plant in Vietnam. As soon as prepared in 2026, it would make 5m instances per yr. Good luck to any manufacturers that harbour a hope of catching up…
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