Methodology
Nearly 10,000 brands in the spirits and wine sectors were researched to derive a list of the 100 most powerful spirits and wine brands in the world. Power is defined by a brand's ability to generate value for its owner. Value is classified by a series of measures as identified below. The population for the research is all current and potential users of alcoholic drinks.

Scoring

• Share of market: volume based measure of market share
• Brand growth: projected growth based on 10 years historical data and future trends
• Price positioning: a measure of a brand's ability to command a premium
• Market scope: number of markets in which the brand has a significant presence

Soft measures
• Brand awareness: a combination of prompted and spontaneous awareness
• Brand relevancy: capacity to relate to the brand and a propensity to purchase
• Brand heritage: a brand's longevity and a measure of how it is embedded in local culture
• Brand perception: loyalty and how close a strong brand image is to a desire for ownership

A panel of leading experts in the drinks industry independently ranked each selected brand out of 10 on the above measures (10 = high, 0 = low). The scores given by the individual panel members were aggregated and averaged to reach a total score for each brand. A total score was achieved by multiplying a brand's weighted volume by its brand score, within a defined range. The weighting is designed to adjust the volumes to a comparable level. Brand score is a derivative of the eight measures of brand strength. This results in a ranking of the world's most powerful alcohol drinks brands.

The Top 10
1 Smirnoff
2 Bacardi
3 Johnnie Walker
4 Martini
5 Stolichnaya
6 Hennessy
7 Jack Daniels
8 Absolut
9 Ballantines
10 Baileys