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SPIRITS

Two parts malt, one part water: Glenmorangie hopes to get more Indians drinking the way the Scots do.

It isn't often that you'll see a man in a skirt, but Bill Lumsden is in a kilt as part of his role as global brands ambassador for The Glenmorangie Company. And Glenmorangie, courtesy of Moet Hennessy India, has just been launched in the Indian market.

As master distiller and ambassador, it is Lumsden's lot to introduce loutish Indians with unspeakable drinking habits to the fine taste of single malt.

And so, Lumsden "" make that Dr Lumsden "" has been bringing together groups of 50-60 enthusiasts from the retail and consumer end, as well as from the trade, to take them through the 150-year-old distillery's distinctive malts.

There are tasting notes and lec-dems that include a fair share of sniffing and squaffing, and of course Lumsden's own wry sense of Scottish humour "" but is it enough to tackle India's resistance to anything that isn't Johnnie Walker or Chivas Regal, or any other blended scotch?

The Japanese, says Lumsden, are probably at the other end of the spectrum. "It's almost like a religion with them," he says, "it's taken very seriously."

No wonder Japan (along with Singapore) are seen as among the more sophisticated markets for malts in Asia. Overall, growth in Europe in the malt segment is a slow 1-2 per cent annually (for scotch, it's actually plateaued), whereas the growth is the fastest in the Asia-Pacific region.

No wonder Lumsden was in Asia for three weeks, with India ("you wouldn't have been on the map a few years ago," he laughs) the last leg before flying back to Edinburgh.

As part of the tour, he was in China and Taiwan ("where they drink their malt with their meal and not like an aperitif"), Japan and Singapore, Thailand and Korea ("where they mix their malt with Coke or green tea, though I've also seen them drop a shot into the bottom of a glass of beer").

That the visit to India coincided with the annual Budget has been no reason to cheer "" the FM hasn't done anything to aid the wine and liquor industry that has been waiting for a drop in import duties: the result is prices that are steep in retail, impeding imports.

In fact, the size of the malt market in India is only 12,000-odd cases right now, and Glenmorangie hopes to capture 25 per cent of that. "But the real prize would be to get into the scotch share of the market," says Lumsden.

"Glenmorangie usually appeals to new drinkers, as well as to the ladies, with its smooth, soft, easy drinking," he says.

Available in its 10-year and 15-year ranges, there are also variants that have been matured in casks with port, sherry, madeira or burgundy wood finishes.

Typically, the malts are matured in American oak casks that have been seasoned for four years with bourbon, and these are never used for more than two fills (other distilleries use them for up to seven fills).

The Glenmorangie distilleries produce up to 4 million litres of malt, 23 per cent of which evaporates as a process of ageing, and results in 8 lakh cases, of which 3.25 lakh are sold globally, the rest being laid down for future consumption.

Glenmorangie is Moet Hennessy's first foray into the whisky market (though it does have a portfolio of champagnes, cognacs and wines).

"Moet Hennessy bought the brand because it fits into their portfolio of luxury brands," Lumsden says, "and we're happy to be part of their international clout."