Heineken edges Baileys to lead YouGov’s 2026 U.S. alcoholic beverage rankings

Heineken ranks as the most considered alcoholic beverage brand in YouGov’s U.S. alcoholic beverage rankings 2026, with 18.4% of U.S. adults aged 21+ saying they would consider the brand the next time they are in the market to purchase an alcoholic beverage.

Baileys follows just behind at 18.3%, with Jack Daniel’s third at 18.0%, Smirnoff fourth at 17.0% and Guinness fifth at 16.7%. Less than two percentage points separate the top five, highlighting a competitive market in which beer and spirits brands are competing alongside ready-to-drink and hard seltzer options.

The rankings, powered by YouGov BrandIndex, also identify the most considered beer, spirits and ready-to-drink brands, the biggest year-over-year gainers and the brands that stand out on perceptions of Value and Quality.

Key findings:

• Heineken also tops the beer ranking. Guinness (16.7%) and Budweiser (15.4%). Modelo (14.9%) and Blue Moon (14.5%) complete the top five. No light beer appears in the beer top five most considered, though Bud Light ranks seventh at 13.8%.
• Mike’s Hard Lemonade leads ready-to-drink and seltzer brands at 15.4%, followed by White Claw at 11.2%, Smirnoff Spiked Seltzer (7.3%), Truly Hard Seltzer (6.5%) and BuzzBallz (6.0%).
• Baileys leads spirits at 18.3%, followed by Jack Daniel’s (18.0%), Smirnoff (17.0%), Bacardi (15.0%), and Crown Royal (14.9%).
• Don Julio records the biggest year-over-year gain in Consideration, improving by 2.7 percentage points. Cutwater follows with a 2.6-point increase, while BuzzBallz gains 1.6 points, Michelob ULTRA rises 1.5 points, and 1800 Tequila and Jose Cuervo each gain 1.3 points.
• Jack Daniel’s stands out on Value, while Guinness leads on Quality. Among the 25 most considered brands, Jack Daniel’s records the highest net Value score at 20.0, followed by Smirnoff (18.3) and Bacardi (17.2). Guinness leads Quality at 33.2, narrowly ahead of Jack Daniel’s (33.1) and Heineken (32.8).

“Alcoholic beverage consideration is highly competitive, with the close rankings at the top highlighting how brands across different categories compete for consumer attention,” said Nora Hao, Senior Sales Director at YouGov. “Heineken leads overall, while spirits maintain a strong presence in the top 10, and brands such as Don Julio and Cutwater are gaining momentum. The Value and Quality results further demonstrate how brands can differentiate themselves based on what consumers prioritize when making a purchase.”

Read the full rankings here.

Methodology

YouGov’s U.S. alcoholic beverage rankings 2026 are based on YouGov BrandIndex data collected among U.S. adults aged 21+ from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026.

Consideration measures the percentage of respondents who say they would consider a brand the next time they are in the market to purchase an alcoholic beverage in the relevant category. Value and Quality are reported as net scores reflecting the balance of positive and negative perceptions.

The overall ranking and Value/Quality analysis are based on n>13,190 U.S. adults aged 21+. The ranking of the biggest improvers compares September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026 (n>13,680) with September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025 (n>13,700). Non-alcoholic beer alternatives tracked in BrandIndex were eligible for the ranking.

Figures are rounded to one decimal place. Year-over-year changes are reported in percentage points. The analysis was conducted by YouGov with the assistance of AI tools.