The 44-Point Gap: Why Whisky and Cigar Brands Are Splitting on AI Visibility

What do this week's readings actually show?

This week the AI Visibility Index measured 11 brands and returned an average readiness score of 59 out of 100. On its own, that number reads as middling — a passing grade with plenty of room to improve. But the average conceals the real story. The gap between the best-prepared site and the least-prepared one stretches to 44 points, and that spread is where the competitive advantage is being won and lost.

Readiness, for the uninitiated, is a 0–100 measure of how well a brand's website is built to be found and cited by AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. A high score does not guarantee a mention. A low score, however, makes it far harder for an assistant to surface your brand when a buyer asks it a question. You can see how every brand stacks up on the Index.

Who is leading, and by how much?

Setting aside the Index itself at 87, the clear leader among measured brands this week is The Whisky Shop, with a readiness of 76. That puts it a full 17 points ahead of the field average and 10 points clear of its nearest rival, EGM Cigars at 66.

The pattern is instructive. The Whisky Shop and EGM Cigars are the only two measured brands to clear the 65 mark, and both sit comfortably above the 59 average. In a field where most sites cluster in the 40s and 50s, being prepared is itself a differentiator. When an AI assistant has to choose which merchant to name in response to a query, it leans on the sites it can read, parse and trust — and this week, two brands have built that advantage.

Why does the middle of the table matter?

The middle is crowded and fragile. Hard To Find Whisky (57), C.Gars Ltd (56), City Cigars (50) and The Drink Shop (48) are separated by a mere nine points. That tight cluster is significant for two reasons.

First, it means small, deliberate improvements to site structure, content clarity and machine-readability could reorder the table quickly. A brand sitting on 48 is not far from overtaking one on 56. Second, it means none of these brands can assume their position is secure. The difference between being cited and being ignored by an assistant can come down to a handful of readiness points — and right now those points are up for grabs.

The lesson for brands in this band is plain: being average is not safe. The average readiness of 59 is a floor to clear, not a ceiling to admire.

What does the bottom of the table reveal?

The lowest reading this week belongs to Turmeaus Cigars at 32 — 27 points below the field average and 44 points behind The Whisky Shop. A score in the low 30s suggests an AI assistant struggles to extract clear, structured, citable information from the site. That is a visibility problem with direct commercial consequences: if an assistant cannot read you, it cannot recommend you.

What is striking is that Turmeaus Cigars operates in the same category as EGM Cigars and C.Gars Ltd, which score 66 and 56 respectively. This is not a sector-wide ceiling. Cigar retailers can and do score well. The gap is a matter of how each site is built and maintained, not of the market they compete in. Our scoring approach is set out in full in our methodology.

Is this a whisky versus cigars story?

Tempting, but no. The two leading categories — spirits and cigars — are interleaved throughout the table. Whisky retailers appear at the top (The Whisky Shop, 76) and in the middle (Hard To Find Whisky, 57). Cigar merchants appear high (EGM Cigars, 66) and at the very bottom (Turmeaus Cigars, 32). The spread within each category is nearly as wide as the spread across the whole field.

That is the most useful finding of the week. AI visibility is not determined by what you sell. It is determined by how well your site is constructed to be understood and quoted by machines. The brands pulling ahead are doing the structural work; the brands falling behind are not. For the wider trend lines behind these weekly readings, see the State of AI Visibility report.

What should brands take from this week?

Three things. One: the 59 average is a starting line, not a finish. Two: the table is tight enough in the middle that modest improvements can change your position fast. Three: your category does not decide your readiness — your execution does.

The brands at the top of this week's Index are not there by accident. They have built sites that AI assistants can read, trust and cite. Everyone else is one honest assessment away from knowing exactly where they stand.

Run a scan to see your own readiness score and find out whether AI assistants can actually find you.