- Sales in second quarter of fiscal 2026 – to the end of October – decline by 2% to US$1.04bn
- For the half year, sales flat at $1.96bn
- Six-month sales of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky down 6%
- Fiscal full-year – to the end of April 2026 – expected to deliver sales dip in “low single-digit” range
Brown-Forman has booked a slip in sales from its most recent financial quarter, with the challenge now set for the second half of the group’s fiscal 2026.
The Jack Daniel’s owner said today (4 December) that sales in the three months to the end of October were down 2% on the corresponding period a year ago. The +1% performance in the previous quarter – fiscal Q1 – meant the half-year finished flat in sales terms.
Within the brand portfolio, flagship mark Jack Daniel’s came in down 6% in sales by value over the six months, with the August launch of Jack’s blackberry-flavoured extension gaining credit for contributing to the flat showing from the group’s overall whiskey/whisky stable. While the brand’s apple-flavoured iteration was up by double digits in the half-year, both Honey and Fire posted declines.
Elsewhere, Brown-Forman’s tequila brands, El Jimador and Herradura, had contrasting fortunes; the former growing its sales by 2% while Herradura fell back 11%.
“Our second quarter results reflect a continuation of the themes we saw in the first quarter, and the first half of the year unfolded largely as we expected,” said CEO Lawson Whiting. “While the operating environment continues to be challenging, our team remains … focused on executing our plans.
“Based on this performance and our visibility into the remainder of the year, we are pleased to reaffirm our fiscal year guidance.”
The group expect its sales in fiscal 2026 – which runs to the end of April – to finish down by low single digits.
Last month, the brand owner appointed Liviko as its distributor in Lithuania from May next year, extending a partnership that already covers Estonia and Latvia.
