The 10 Most Popular American Whiskey Brands in the World for 2026
Many industries have felt the effects of the second Trump administration’s ongoing tariff war, and American whiskey is no exception. Last year, global American whiskey exports plummeted by 19 percent, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). That drop was largely a result of the industry having front-loaded exports to European Union markets in 2024 in anticipation of retaliatory tariffs and of Canada’s province-wide boycott of American liquor.
Despite the dips in certain regions, American whiskey was the country’s most exported spirit with major growth in new markets like Brazil and Australia. DISCUS recorded just a one-percent drop in the category’s overall volume sales worldwide. From this data, The Spirits Business ranked the best-selling American whiskey brands by nine-liter case sales in its annual Brand Champions Report.
From longstanding brands to those new to the scene, here are the world’s most popular American whiskey brands for 2026.
10. Wild Turkey (including Wild Turkey American Honey)
Brothers and Irish immigrants James and John Ripy founded a bourbon distillery in Lawrenceville, Ky., in 1869, but it wouldn’t get the name Wild Turkey until an executive at the distillery shared the bourbon with friends on a turkey hunting trip. Famed father-son duo Jimmy and Eddie Russell — who also founded Russell’s Reserve — now helm Wild Turkey, which is owned by the Campari Group. In 2025, the distillery had a slightly better year than the one previous, dropping by 2.9 percent to 1.7 million cases.
9. Woodford Reserve
Brown-Forman started Woodford Reserve in 1996, and it has quickly risen to become one of the most popular choices for bourbon. Despite its relatively recent launch, the brand’s portfolio is crafted at a historic distillery founded in 1812. Woodford Reserve is also renowned for its lineup beyond bourbon, including rye, wheat, and malt whiskeys. The distillery’s volume sales stayed relatively steady in 2025, dipping by 0.6 percent to 1.8 million cases.
8. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey is a whiskey-based honey liqueur. (While The Spirits Business looped in Wild Turkey’s honey liqueur under the same entry, it separated Jack Daniel’s honey liqueur from the rest of the brand’s sales). Since its introduction in 2011, the brand has tacked on additional flavors to its portfolio, such as Tennessee Apple, Tennessee Fire, and Winter Jack. In 2025, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey posted 1.9 million cases in volume sales, a 3.6-percent drop year-over-year.
7. Bell Rock Whiskey
Global Spirits founded Bell Rock Whiskey in 2024. It is crafted in Florida, and the name is a nod to a historic lighthouse off the coast of Great Britain. The brand didn’t appear in the The Spirits Business’ ranking last year, but the company had a comparatively massive showing in 2025. Last year, Bell Rock’s volume sales skyrocketed by 209.5 percent year-over-year, reaching two million cases sold.
6. Bulleit
Tom Bulleit founded his eponymous whiskey brand in Shelbyville, Ky., in 1987 with the idea to craft bourbons with a high-rye mashbill to stand out against similar products. Diageo scooped up the brand 13 years later. After a slight dip in volume sales in 2024, Bulleit course corrected last year and recorded a 2.6-percent increase to two million cases.
5. Seagram’s 7
Seagream’s was founded in Canada in 1928 and produced its whiskey in that country until 2000 when Diageo acquired it and shifted production to the U.S. Now called Seagram’s 7, the brand’s lineup is distilled in Norwalk, Conn. Volume sales for Seagream’s 7 have dipped incrementally each year since 2020, but the brand posted no change last year and remained at two million cases sold.
4. Maker’s Mark
Husband-wife duo Bill and Margie Samuels founded Maker’s Mark in Loretto, Ky., in 1953. Now owned by Suntory Global Spirits, Maker’s Mark is an icon thanks to its red wax coating and short, stout bottle. Maker’s Mark posted a 10.1-percent drop in sales in 2024 and leveled out last year to a 0.7-percent dip, selling 2.7 million cases.
3. Evan Williams
Heaven Hill Distillery debuted Evan Williams in 1957, and in its nearly 70-year run, the brand’s portfolio has expanded to over 20 different expressions. Evan Williams is named after a Welsh immigrant who’s widely considered to be one of bourbon’s founding fathers. From 2021 to 2024, the brand’s volume sales stayed consistent, but last year they decreased by 3.9 percent to 2.9 million cases.
2. Jack Daniel’s
Jack Daniel’s was founded in 1866 and is now one of America’s quintessential whiskey brands. Old No. 7 is the brand’s flagship product, but its portfolio includes over 15 expressions. Brown-Forman acquired Jack Daniel’s in 1956, bringing its production from Lynchburg, Tenn., farther south to the parent company’s headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Jack Daniel’s volume sales slid by 4.6 percent to 13.4 million cases in 2025.
1. Jim Beam
Jim Beam first entered the market in 1975 and soon after rose through the ranks to become the world’s top-selling American whiskey brands. Suntory Global Spirits bought Jim Beam in 2014 for $16 billion. Jim Beam’s volume sales jumped each year from 2022 to 2024, but at the end of 2025, Jim Beam announced plans to cease production at its flagship distillery in Clermont, Ky., for the entirety of 2026 and said it would prioritize upgrading facilities at other plants. The closure could have been predicated on the brand’s 4.6-percent drop in case sales last year to 16.7 million units.
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