Conor McGregor's whiskey business: How much did Proper No. Twelve make in 2020?

UFC 229: Khabib v McGregor Press Conference
UFC 229: Khabib v McGregor Press Conference

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the UFC, and his whiskey business is doing big numbers.

McGregor officially launched Proper No. 12 in 2018, and since then, it has been a significant hit. The brand's logo has been on the canvas of UFC and boxing events, which has only helped the business grow. Over the past year, the sales have gone through the roof.

Proper No. 12 whiskey sales

In 2019, it was reported that Proper No. 12 helped push whiskey sales past $1 billion in the United States, which was a 12 per cent increase in sales from year to year.

When that happened, to the surprise of few, McGregor was eager to share how well Proper No. 12 has done.

“Was there ever any doubt I’d turn Whiskey to a Billi? I turned “human cock fighting” to 4.2. I’m gonna toast on this fine Thursday this amazing news,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. Sláinte to the only true Irish Whiskey we have left, ‘Proper No. 12’. Irish owned forever. Thank you all. It has been my pleasure.”

In early 2019, reports stated that Proper No. 12 sold out a six-month allocation in its first ten days and shipped about 200,000 nine-litre cases since its launch. The 200,000 cases were sold for $35-40 million.

Also Read: What is Conor McGregor's Salary?

2020 sales

As of right now, there are no documents showing how much Proper No. 12 sold in 2020. However, it is likely to be more compared to their first two years due to the company expanding into different markets and the popularity of McGregor.

On McGregor's website, TheMacLife, a report came out that the company had a massive increase in sales to begin 2020.

"213,800 cases of Proper No. Twelve have been shipped in the past year, a massive increase on the 38,200 it sold the year prior. These figures are enough for it to stretch beyond brands such as Paddy, Kilbeggan, Powers, Teeling, Redbreast and The Dubliner in the global stakes. Jameson, which was founded in 1780, remains the market leader."

In the same article, it is reported Proper No. 12 had a 24 percent increase in sales, while Jameson whiskey only had a six percent increase. However, one major question was how COVID-19 impacted final sales.

“With growth in 2020 impacted by Covid-19 sales restrictions – particularly in travel retail and across the global on-trade scene – 2019 will likely represent a new benchmark year for Irish whiskey sales, with our industry now focussing on getting back to 12 million case sales as soon as possible,” said William Lavelle of the Irish Whiskey Association.

Although there is no official number, by all of these reports, Proper No. 12 had a massive 2020.

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Edited by James McGlade