For 2025 the top spots in vodka remain unchanged. Bacardi-owned Grey Goose secured its position as the bestselling vodka with Diageo-owned Ketel One taking the second spot.
For the past few years the brands have been battling it out for the top place, with Grey Goose ranking as a top-three choice in just over half the bars polled, while Ketel One was 36%.
While Belvedere may not be a popular house pour, appearing in just 3% of top choices in bars polled, it shone as a requested pour. The LVMH-owned brand was the most frequently third bestselling vodka throughout 2024 and therefore a top-three choice for 35% of bars.
Changes in the list this year see Stoli move up to fourth, and despite recent news of Stoli’s US arm filing for bankruptcy, the brand was still the house pour in 12% of bars polled in 2024. The lower end of the list has also had a shake up, with Boatyard entering the bestsellers, possibly in line with the popularity of the Vodka Martini in the Cocktail Report. Consumers clearly know which brands they like in specific vodka serves.
How we did it
To collect the data we curate a 100-strong sample of bars from an even geographical split which have featured in recent editions of The Word’s 50 Best Bars (1-100) and Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards, plus regional awards such as North America and Asia’s 50 Best Bars and national awards such as the Class Bar Awards. To ensure the best global coverage, about 5% of the 100 were ‘editor’s picks’ – highly rated bars in regions less represented to assure a truly global data pool reflective of the current bar industry.
Of course, the panel rotates each year to not only ensure a fair and accurate set of results, but represent the current geography of the industry’s best bars year on year.
As part of the survey, we ask each bar owner or head bartender to revise their sales spreadsheets and rank the three bestselling products in each spirit, beer, wine and mixer category. A bestselling brand, even in the best bars in the world, earns its place on more than taste, so we also wanted to know the brands that are not necessarily doing huge volumes but are on trend. This is where the trending lists come in. Within these tables are the brands customers are increasingly asking for, perhaps because of word of mouth or even on bartenders’ recommendations. Often the brands that figure highly in the trending list move on to the bestselling list the following year, as curiosity and excitement transition to weight of sales.
To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.
The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.
