The 10 Most Popular American Whiskey Brands in the World for 2025
2024 was a tough year for the American whiskey industry. For the second year in a row, volumes declined, indicating that things might be slowing down for the sector following the pandemic-era boom.
The Spirits Business recently published its annual Brand Champions Report, which revealed the top 10 best-selling American whiskey brands and market trends in the category at large. The report states that the category’s sales by volume in the U.S. were down 2.7 percent last year while value dipped 1.8 percent, according to data from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and the IWSR. Moreover, of the 10 brands highlighted in the American whiskey section, only two experienced positive volume growth: Jim Beam and Woodford Reserve.
Before diving into each brand individually, it’s important to note that the report included traditional and flavored expressions in the same entry for some brands, while leaving them separate for others. For example, while Wild Turkey and Wild Turkey American Honey are listed together, Jack Daniel’s and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey are separated into two entries. Jim Beam, which has several flavored expressions under its umbrella, is also listed as one entity.
Unsurprisingly, Jim Beam was the largest American whiskey brand in 2024, increasing case sales from 17 million in 2023 to 17.5 million last year. In second place is Jack Daniel’s, while Heaven Hill-owned Evan Williams rounds out the top three.
Check out the rest of the world’s most popular American whiskey brands below!
10. Ole Smoky
Established in Gatlinburg in 2010, Ole Smoky Distillery was the first federally licensed distillery in East Tennessee. The Ole Smoky umbrella is predominantly focused on moonshine, though it also includes a vast selection of whiskeys. There are the usual suspects, of course: a Tennessee straight bourbon whiskey, a blended whiskey, and even an applejack brandy. But there’s also a cookie dough whiskey, a strawberry lemonade expression, a mango habanero bottling, and more. In total, Ole Smoky offers 24 distinct whiskey expressions. In 2024, case sales dipped 6 percent year-over-year, down from 1.3 million to 1.2 million.
9. Wild Turkey (including Wild Turkey American Honey)
Wild Turkey is an American whiskey brand with roots dating back over 150 years. Joint master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell — the same father-son duo who founded Russell’s Reserve — currently oversee all distillation at the Lawrenceburg, Ky., distillery. Wild Turkey currently has 20 bottlings on offer, with Wild Turkey 101, an expression in the brand’s core lineup, consistently called out as a bartender favorite. The brand has included flavored expressions in its lineup since 1976 when Jimmy Russell created a honey-flavored bourbon originally called Wild Turkey Honey Liqueur. Now marketed as American Honey, the whiskey also comes in a spicy bottling called American Honey Sting. Wild Turkey case sales were down from 1.8 million in 2023 to 1.7 million in 2024, a 4.5 percent decline year-over-year.
8. Woodford Reserve
Launched by Brown-Forman in 1996, Woodford Reserve might be a relative newcomer on the American whiskey scene, but it has some serious credentials behind it. Not only is it produced at a historic distillery in Versailles, Ky., that dates back to 1812, but it’s also the official sponsor of the Kentucky Derby. That means every Mint Julep poured at Churchill Downs is made with the brand’s bourbon. In addition to bourbons, the Woodford Reserve lineup also includes rye, wheat, and malt whiskeys. The brand experienced moderate success in 2024, increasing case sales 3.4 percent year-over-year.
7. Bulleit
Based in Shelbyville, Ky., Bulleit was founded in 1987 and distinguished itself from other bourbons on the market with its high-rye mash bill. Today, the brand is owned by Diageo and houses seven expressions beneath its umbrella. Over the course of the 2020s, Bulleit performed relatively well, though case sales dipped slightly from 2 million in 2023 to 1.9 million in 2024.
6. Seagram’s 7
Seagram’s was founded 1928 in Canada, meaning that for the first 72 years of its existence, it was a Canadian whisky brand. But that all changed when Diageo purchased the brand in 2000 and production was moved to the United States. Today, all Seagram’s 7 — a crucial component in the dive bar’s beloved 7 and 7 — is distilled in Norwalk, Conn. The brand’s case sales peaked in 2020 at 2.7 million, but numbers have tapered off each year since. In 2024, sales were down to just 2 million cases, an 11.7 percent decline year-over-year.
5. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey
A mixture of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 and honey liqueur, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey first hit the market in 2011. The brand has since expanded its flavored lineup with expressions like Tennessee Apple, Tennessee Fire, and Winter Jack, though it’s unclear if those case sales were included alongside Tennessee Honey or in the greater Jack Daniel’s category (see: No. 2). Case sales of the flavored whiskey have remained steady over the years, hovering at or just above the 2 million mark.
4. Maker’s Mark
Beam Suntory-owned Maker’s Mark was established in Loretto, Ky., in 1953, though the first bottles — with their signature red wax seal — didn’t roll out until 1958. Since then, the brand has grown to become one of the most recognizable names in American whiskey. From 2020 to 2023, Maker’s Mark’s case sales increased significantly, perhaps spurred on by new permanent installments like the Cellar Aged series, which sees bottles undergo a lengthier maturation process. Unfortunately, that growth stalled out in 2024 and the brand experienced a 10.1 percent decline in sales.
3. Evan Williams
Evan Williams is the flagship spirit of Heaven Hill Distillery. Since the brand’s launch in 1957, the lineup has expanded to include over 20 expressions, from straight bourbon and single barrel expressions to flavored bottlings and even spiked egg nog. From 2021 on, the brand’s case sales have remained stagnant at 3.1 million per year.
2. Jack Daniel’s
Established in 1866, it’s hard to think of a whiskey brand more intertwined with American culture than Jack Daniel’s. The brand currently offers over 15 bottlings, though its flagship, Old No. 7, remains its most recognizable. Following a few years of explosive growth in the early 2020s, Jack Daniel’s case sales have been steadily dwindling from 2022 on. Last year, Jack Daniel’s case sales were down 1.5 percent from 14.3 million to 14.1 million — 500,000 cases fewer than 2022’s record 14.6 million.
1. Jim Beam
The brand Jim Beam didn’t hit shelves until 1975, but the Beam family’s distilling history dates back as far as the 18th century. The mash bill used to make the Clermont Ky.-based brand’s flagship bourbon dates back over 225 years. The yeast colony used to ferment it? That’s over 75 years old. One of the best-selling whiskey brands in the world for several years running, Jim Beam’s case sales have steadily climbed each year since 2022. Last year, they increased nearly 3 percent to hit 17.5 million, a five-year high.
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