Scotch on the rocks

18 July 2016 - 09:29 By ©The Daily Telegraph

The Americanisation of British culture appears to have reached a new and totemic milestone.For the first time a scotch has been toppled as Britain's best-selling whisky.New data reveals that Jack Daniel's has usurped The Famous Grouse as the UK's most popular whisky after sales of the Tennessee-made spirit surged by 9.3% in the last year.This coincided with a 4.4% slump in sales of the six leading blended scotches, with retail sales of The Famous Grouse alone plummeting by 14.9%.The trend is thought to be fuelled by a younger generation of drinkers who identify more closely with American brands, as well as efforts by retailers to promote bourbon ahead of whiskies because they can make more money.Jack Daniel's is now Britain's ninth-biggest alcohol brand, up from 11th last year. The Famous Grouse fell three places to 13th.Crispin Stephens, head of commercial planning at Jack Daniel's owner Bacardi Brown-Forman, said: "People don't want to drink what their fathers drank."Positive cultural associations with America are coming through in casual dining trends."Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace and Bulleit and other bourbons are benefiting from this."Stephens said retailers had been giving more prominence to American whisky because it yields the best return, plus the price of Jack Daniel's itself has declined by 6% in the last year.The head of commercial planning said the price drops and featured deals at Christmas and Father's Day had been crucial to the growth of the beverage in the UK. ..

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