Smirnoff has been named the most powerful wine and spirit brand in the world by a group of industry experts.

A panel of judges working for independent brand valuation consultancy Intangible Business, evaluated over 10,000 wine and spirit brands and has come up with top 100 most powerful brands.

Sitting behind Smirnoff in the top five are Bacardi, Johnnie Walker, Martini and Stolichnaya. Whisky was named the most powerful in the spirits and wine sector, ahead of vodka and rum.

The brands were judged according to eight criteria, including share of market, brand growth, price positioning, market scope, brand awareness, brand perception and brand heritage.

Percentage scores were given for each sector and then added together to form the final "power" score. Malcolm Davies, director of Intangible Business, who sat on the judging panel explained: "This evaluation had a very clear method and strategy.

"The panel has great experience from around the world. I have spent a large amount of time in the Far East, while, for example, Patrick Gillon has great experience in Central and South America."