United Spirits high on grain whiskey

United Spirits, the largest domestic liquor producer, has entered the fledgling market for grain-based whiskey in the country with the launch of its new brand "" Royal Mist.

The new brand, currently available in the Goa and Pune markets, will be in a test-marketing phase and will then be extended to the other regions, said Debashish Shyam, assistant vice-president, marketing. "We did not have a product in the grain-based whiskey segment, and Royal Mist fills that gap in the portfolio," he said.

Shyam said the company has also created a new slot in the whiskey market at the 'premium plus' level by launching Royal Mist at a price of Rs 400 (for a 750-ml bottle).

"The premium segment ends at the price level of Rs 275-300 and the luxury brands such as Royal Challenge or Signature come in at around Rs 700," he said.

The company expects to attract the young, upwardly mobile consumer to Royal Mist with a price tag above the popular brands and the appeal of 'grain-based' spirit, which people often relate with the taste and flavour of scotch whiskey, Shyam pointed out.

Declining to share the estimates of sale volumes or revenues, Shyam said it was more important at this stage to make the brand known across markets. To be able to do this, the company has planned Misty Parties in different locations and has also undertaken spot promotion in permit rooms and bars.

Additionally, advertising "" including surrogate communication "" will be resorted to, said Shyam. The company has brought in Royal Mist cologne tissues as a first step in this direction.

The domestic spirits market still does not have a sizeable volume of grain-based spirits.

The only two brands in this segment are Imperial Blue and Royal Stag that have been doing fairly well, though their share in the total whisky market is very small. The company's market research, however, hinted at a slight shift in favour of 100 per cent grain-based spirits, thanks to the 'scotch' perception in the minds of the consumers, Shyam said.

United Spirits has in its fold the entire non-beer business of the UB group and is the third-largest distilled spirits company in the world. It has 130 brands across IMFL (Indian-made foreign liquor) and sold 59.3 lakh cases in India during 2005-06.