Radico Khaitan may finalise int'l mkting tie-ups soon

 Liquor maker Radico Khaitan today said it may finalise some international marketing tie-ups to bring a few iconic brands in the country within a few months.

"We are in talks with some international players to bring iconic liquor brands, across all categories, into the country. This may happen by this (fourth) quarter end or by early first quarter of next fiscal," Radico Khaitan MD Abhishek Khaitan told PTI.

He, however, declined to disclose the names.

Radico Khaitan already has a marketing tie-up with California-based Ernest & Julio Gallo and a joint venture with UK-based Diageo Plc to make and sell liquor products in India.

The company, which rolled out its 'After Dark' whiskey last year, now plans to launch it across the country.

"By April, we plan to take it across the entire country. Its a huge segment for us so we would be concentrating on it in the next fiscal," Khaitan said.

The Delhi-based firm sells 'After Dark' in Delhi,Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

The company will utilise its nation-wide network to sell the whiskey, which is being produced at the company's Rampur distillery.

"As we already have a distribution network all over the country, we don't need to hire people specifically for launching the whiskey," Khaitan said.

The company, which reported net sales of Rs 363.3 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2010, sells brands including 8 PM Whiskey, Magic Moments Vodka and Contessa Rum.