Today in The CLASS Report, we disect the American whiskey category at the UK's best bars.
No category embodies the 21st-century cocktail renaissance like American whiskey. Modern UK bartending was built on the skeletons of seen-off Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Whiskey Sours and Boilermakers. While the landscape today is decidedly less stirred-down-and-brown, the category is still the fourth-bestselling in UK bars, outpacing rum, and is called for in about a fifth of their bestselling classics (depending whose recipe you’re using). If you need further proof that American whiskey is still essential, every single bar we polled stocked at least one brand.
Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace has retained its top spot in our bestsellers list. The Hi-Spirits-distributed brand strikes the perfect bar balance of quality, value and familiarity and has a long history of engaging pretty actively with the UK trade. It was the house pour in 21% of our polled bars and was a top-three bestseller in 30%.
If it’s not Buffalo Trace in your speed rail, there’s a fair chance it’s Maker’s Mark. The Suntory Global Spirits bourbon occupies a similar value-to-quality draw as Buffalo Trace and, while the bestselling whiskey in fewer bars (16%), it was a top-three in more (32%) – perhaps its striking red wax seal or sweeter profile making Maker’s a slightly more frequent brand call.
One step down the ranking and up the price ladder is Woodford Reserve. Last year’s second-placed whiskey was the bestseller in 10% of our bars – that’s 5% fewer than last year – but maintained its role as a supporting player, it was a top-three serve in 31%.
The Speciality Brands-distributed Michter’s takes fourth place, impressive given its role as a premium upsell. Bartenders, however, seem to love the liquid – it’s topped our Bartenders’ Favourite poll both times we’ve asked – and guests do too. Maybe too expensive to be the primary pour in most bars, it was the bestseller in 6% and a top-three serve in 28%.
The dual-nationality Whistlepig holds a comparable place in the hearts of bartenders. It was again the second-placed Bartenders’ Favourite and again missed out on the bestselling list.
Campari Group’s Wild Turkey cuts a similar figure to the two brands at the top of this ranking, but perhaps less convincingly so. It’s the house pour in 7% of our bars and a top-three in 15%. The Heaven Hill-owned Evan Williams performed similarly, another entry-level price point it was also the bestseller in 7% of bars and had a supporting role in a further 4%.
Tennessee whiskey Jack Daniel’s doesn’t get much shine as a house listing, just 4% use it as their go-to, but its reputation and status mean that Jack has plenty of utility as the most popular brand call, it was 12% of our polled bars’ second-bestselling whiskey. The opposite is true of Diageo’s Bulleit – if it’s not your house pour, it’s probably not high on your American whiskey list. The bestseller in 6% of bars, Bulleit is a second or third-bestselling whiskey in just 2% more.
While Rittenhouse was only the bestseller in 2% of our polled bars, it was the second-bestseller in 10% – that’s as much as Michter’s and almost reaching Jack Daniel’s levels of runner-up-ness – testament to its reputation as a workhorse rye. The Kirin Brewing Company-owned Four Roses completes the top 10, but lost ground on its 2024 results.
While American whiskeys monopolisation of cocktail culture is in the rearview, it remains one of the industry’s most important spirits categories – whether anyone will be able to afford American whiskey by next year is a different matter altogether.