The Famous Grouse whisky enjoyed a strong Christmas in the UK off-trade, with sales topping £71 million – making it now the number one whisky by value in the UK, according to Edrington-Beam Suntory UK .

The whisk(e)y category in total was valued at £393 million, larger than both vodka and gin.

The Famous Grouse reported a 2.6% value growth over the festive period compared to the previous year, overtaking Jack Daniel’s.

The US whiskey had held the top spot in 2018 but saw value drop 9.3%. 

The news comes despite the wider blended Scotch category continuing to struggle, with value down 4.1% over Christmas. 

Mark Riley, managing director, Edrington-Beam Suntory UK, said: “The Famous Grouse for years has been the UK’s favourite whisky and driving force behind the blended Scotch category, so we are delighted to have reclaimed our number one spot in the UK’s largest spirits category.

“It’s fantastic to see a Scotch back in the top spot, particularly for The Famous Grouse, where success has been driven by our strong equity, premiumisation and increased demand for smaller bottle sizes.”