You might be surprised. According to The Millionaire’s Club list from Drinks International and Euromonitor International, the world’s best-selling spirit for 2011 was Jinro soju, a distilled grain spirit from South Korea. The brand sold 61.4 cases last year, beating out second-place brand Smirnoff vodka by 36.7 million cases. According to the Jinro website, Koreans drink almost 1 billion bottles of Jinro soju every month.

Soju is similar to vodka but a little sweeter. It’s traditionally made from rice, but modern producers use a combination of rice and other grains to make their soju.

The Millionare’s Club list documents spirits brands that sell over a million cases per year. 181 brands made the cut based on sales for 2011. New to the list is Glenfiddich, the only single malt Scotch whisky to sell over a million cases. Vodka and whiskey are the two biggest categories on the list, followed by rum in third place.

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The Millionaire's Club Launches Online, Drinks International