Diageo sees growth in whisky market

Premium drinks company expects 5% of its global sales to come from China

Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks company, is looking to become the biggest supplier of whisky by market share in China by the end of 2018, with a long-term goal of realizing 5 percent of its global sales of the brown liquid in the country in the next decade.

Jeff Lin, marketing director of Diageo China, said that Chinese consumers' understanding and interest in whisky is rising. Higher beverage consumption, particularly of liquor and spirits, is also helping Diageo expand quickly in China.