Whiskey sales in South Korea fell sharply last year from a year ago as a prolonged economic slump drove away budget-conscious consumers, industry data showed Wednesday.

According to the data, whiskey product sales fell 12.8 percent to 1.86 million boxes from 2.12 million boxes a year earlier. One box contains 18 0.5-liter bottles.

Diageo Korea Co., the South Korean unit of the British liquor company that took the top spot in the local whiskey market, sold 720,293 boxes last year, down 10 percent from a year ago.

The company mainly sold its flagship brand Windsor last year, but its fresh brand Windsor Black failed to grab consumers’ attention due to passive marketing activities from a tax feud.

The company was followed by Pernod Ricard Korea, the local unit of France’s Pernod Ricard Group, known for its Imperial brand. Pernod Ricard Korea’s whiskey sales nosedived 22.8 percent to 579,353 boxes last year from 750,920 boxes the previous year.

The sales tumble was attributed to a labor strife over the relocation of its plant in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. South Korea’s Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. came in third, with its Scotch Blue brand suffering a 16.5 percent on-year fall to 273,515 boxes. (Yonhap News)