Whisky

American spirits makers Sazerac plans to introduce more brands of bourbon whisky to its priority market India, which is going through premiumisation, a company official said on Wednesday. The Louisiana, US-based privately held American alcoholic beverage company looks at India as an "opportunity market" because it is one of the largest whisky consumption markets, where the trend of premiumisation is picking up led by the growth of the economy and subsequent increase in disposable income. Sazerac Company, which owns a stake in Bengaluru-based liquor maker John Distilleries Ltd, also plans to launch and develop the Bourbon category whisky from Buffalo Trace Distillery, in top Indian metros. It will 'leverage' its relationship with John Distilleries while expanding in the Indian market, which is considered to be complex and over-regulated for the spirits business. "We do expect to continue to invest. India for us, is a priority market. You will see year in and year out, we will contin

Hillfort Whiskey offers a unique tasting experience, beginning with a smoky aroma and evolving into ashy undertones, floral notes, citrus, and tropical fruits

Demand for Irish whisky was six times higher in 2023 than in 2020: IWSR report

Piccadily Agro, maker of Indri Single malt whisky and Camikara rum, on Wednesday said it will invest Rs 1,000 crore to expand existing facility and open new plants, including a distillery in Scotland, to widen its play in the premium segment. Piccadily Agro Industries Limited (PAIL), which announced to raise Rs 312 crore to fund its growth plans, looks to expand its distillery and malt facilities at Indri, Haryana and set up a new facility at Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh. Piccadily Agro Industries Limited (PAIL) will also open its first international distillery at Portavadie, Scotland, to bolster its premium spirits production, according to a company statement. In September 2024, PAIL raised Rs 262 crore through preferential allotment from marquee investors, while an additional Rs 50 crore was infused by the company's promoters. The remaining funding shall be tied up through a combination of internal accruals and debt, it said. "With this expansion in India, we are set to increase our

Whisky, which makes up two-thirds of the spirits segment, experienced a 1 per cent drop in volume, with brandy and rum also falling by 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively

Six Fields Brute is the first strong lager variant in the iconic range, embodying a robust, full-bodied beer that promises a rare experience for bold consumers

The world's second-largest spirits company has reportedly enlisted Goldman Sachs to facilitate the sale, which could fetch up to Rs 5,000 crore

With the global demand for Indian spirits growing at a healthy rate, the government is planning to promote both Indian alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in the international markets and is eyeing USD one billion (about Rs 8,000 crore) exports in the next few years. The commerce ministry's arm APEDA (Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) said that India currently ranks 40th in the world for alcoholic beverage exports. As per estimates, the country has huge unrealised export potential. The authority, as part of the 'Make in India' initiative, has been targeting to increase exports of Indian spirits to major foreign destinations. "It is potentially eyeing USD 1 billion in export revenue over the next few years," it said in a statement on Wednesday. The country's alcoholic beverages exports stood at over Rs 2,200 crore in 2023-24. The major destinations include UAE, Singapore, Netherlands, Tanzania, Angola, Kenya and Rwanda. APEDA also said that ...

Piccadily Agro share price surged up to 4.99 per cent at Rs 788.45 per share on the BSE in Thursday's intraday deals

The initial public offer of Allied Blenders and Distillers, the maker of Officer's Choice Whisky, received 51 per cent subscription on the first day of bidding on Tuesday. The Rs 1,500-crore initial share sale received bids for 2,01,69,680 shares against 3,93,71,669 shares on offer, as per NSE data. The category for non-institutional investors received 87 per cent subscription while the Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) part got subscribed 63 per cent. The Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) portion received 2 per cent subscription. The Initial Public Offer (IPO) has a fresh issue of up to Rs 1,000 crore and an offer for sale of up to Rs 500 crore. The initial share sale has a price range of Rs 267-281 a share. Allied Blenders and Distillers Ltd on Monday said it raised Rs 449 crore from anchor investors. Proceeds from the fresh issue worth Rs 720 crore will be used for the payment of debt, and a portion will be used for general corporate purposes. With a market share of over

On market expansion, DeVans plans to make a significant entry into Maharashtra this year while also strengthening its foothold in Goa

Allied Blenders and Distillers Ltd, the maker of Officer's Choice Whisky, is set to launch its Rs 1,500 crore initial public offering (IPO) on June 25. The initial share-sale will conclude on June 27 and the bidding for anchor investors will open for a day on June 24, according to the red herring prospectus (RHP). The initial share-sale comprises fresh issuance of equity shares worth Rs 1,000 crore and an Offer-for-Sale (OFS) of shares to the tune of Rs 500 crore by promoters. As a part of the OFS, Bina Kishore Chhabria, Resham Chhabria Jeetendra Hemdev and Neesha Kishore Chhabria will sell shares. Proceeds from the fresh issue worth Rs 720 crore will be used for the payment of debt, besides, a portion will be used for general corporate purposes. The total debt on the company's books was around Rs 808 crore as of December 2023. Allied Blenders and Distillers, which filed preliminary IPO papers with Sebi in January, obtained its nod in May to launch the public issue. With a marke

The Indian alcoholic beverages industry is set for improved profit margins and heightened sales in FY25, says ratings agency

Premium spirits and wine importers' body ISWAI has urged state governments to implement an inflation-based pricing model, highlighting that industry margins have shrunk due to a rise in raw material costs. As the cost of raw materials used to produce alcohol has gone up substantially and theP of liquor has not been revised in recent years, very little is left for the trade and manufacturers while state governments are taking away as high as 60-80 per cent of the share, according to International Spirits & Wines Association of India (ISWAI) CEO Nita Kapoor. ISWAI is also pressing for rationalisation of excise duty imposed by some state governments, as they try to maximise the revenue collections, and said it will not help in growing volumes. "The industry and manufacturers are now facing a lot of pressure. It's like their back against the wall because if in theP, states share is roughly about 60 to 80 per cent, then what is being left on the trail and the sub-manufacturer is to ...

Exports are currently a small part of the company's revenue but the management expects it to gradually increase

Nodjame Cecile Fouad tells about the opportunities in India and the brand's expansion plans

The Supreme Court on Monday directed a Madhya Pradesh-based company which manufactures and sells whisky under the trade mark 'London Pride' to inform if it was willing to change the trade dress and colour of its product as they were similar to liquor major Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd's 'Blenders Pride' and 'Imperial Blue' whisky. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud asked senior advocate S Muralidhar, appearing for brand 'London Pride', to seek instructions and inform it about the company's response by the next date of hearing. "Why have you ('London Pride') adopted the same trade dress and colour and all? Get instructions on whether you will change the trade dress and colour (visual appearance of a product)," the bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said. The apex court said it will hear arguments on the issue of trademark dispute on names at the next hearing. The legal battle over the alleged infringement of trademark of the whisky brands ...

Allied Blenders and Distillers Ltd, the maker of Officer's Choice Whisky, has refiled preliminary papers with the capital markets regulator Sebi to raise Rs 1,500 crore through an Initial Public Offering (IPO). The initial share sale comprises fresh issuance of equity shares worth Rs 1,000 crore and an Offer-For-Sale (OFS) of shares to the tune of Rs 500 crore by promoters, draft papers file with Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) showed on Thursday. As a part of the OFS, Bina Kishore Chhabria, Resham Chhabria, Jeetendra Hemdev and Neesha Kishore Chhabria will sell shares. Out of the total proceeds from the fresh issue, Rs 720 crore will be used for the payment of debt, besides a portion will be used for general corporate purposes. As of December 2023, the company had a debt of around Rs 808 crore, according to the draft papers. With a market share of 8.2 per cent in Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in fiscal 2023, Allied Blenders and Distillers had earlier filed draft

The top Indian brands, which contributed to this milestone, included Amrut, Paul John, Radico Khaitan's Rampur, Indri, among others

A distillery in southwestern China is aiming to tap a growing taste among young Chinese for whisky in place of the traditional baijiu liquor used to toast festive occasions. The more than USD 100 million distillery owned by Pernod Ricard at the UNESCO World Heritage site Mount Emei launched a pure-malt whisky, The Chuan, earlier this month. The French wine and spirits group says it is produced using traditional whisky-making techniques combined with Chinese characteristics including locally grown barley and barrels made with oak from the Changbai mountains in northeastern China. Chinese terroir means an exceptional and unique environment for aging, including the water source here top-notch mineral water. The source of water at Mount Emei is very famous," says Yang Tao, master distiller at the distillery. A centuries-old drink, whisky is relatively new to China, but there are already more than 30 whisky distilleries in the mainland, according to the whisky website Billion ...