Bacardi distills new Irish whisky variant for India as demand rises

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

As whiskey consumption continues to soar in the country, Bacardi India will be launching a new variant of its Irish spirit -- Teeling Whiskey – the Small Batch classic crafted specially for the Indian market.

 

“The Indian market is unique in terms of having such a strong understanding and taste for whiskey for a long time. But what's exciting, for us, is the change in consumer behaviour, as people are a little bit more open and interested in experimentation,” Jack Teeling, managing director, Teeling whiskey company, who is in India this week, told Business Standard. 

 

“We have created a whiskey -- specifically for the Indian market -- that has a sweet, fruity, floral, yet spicy taste profile that we think can appeal to the Indian palette,” Teeling added.

 

According to the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR) Drinks Market Analysis 2024, India remains the global volume leader for whisky, brandy and rum. “Other whisky imports continue to perform well, with Irish whiskey the standout,” the report said.

 

From a global perspective, India is now in the top 10 markets for Irish whiskey, with the cumulative average growth rate over the last three years around 80 per cent, said Teeling quoting IWSR data. 

 

"If that growth level can continue, as we hope and we expect, India will very soon come into the top five and can obviously even go higher over the next short while," he said. 

 

According to the report, the experimentation seen during the pandemic has continued, benefitting whiskies other than Scotch and Indian. “Irish whiskey continues to perform well, with Jameson (from the house of Pernod Ricard) dominating the sub-category. Demand was six times higher in 2023 than in 2020,” it added.

 

Betting on the premiumisation trend, the new launch from the house of Bacardi is positioned in the super premium category, with the launch planned for the Delhi and Haryana markets initially. 

 

“Increasingly people are trying to find a brand and a style of spirits they can connect to. The premiumisation trend playing out around the world is happening in India also. So, people want to drink a little bit less, but they want to drink better,” Teeling said.

 

Rising incomes, explosion of the cocktail culture, and a younger demographic, he added, are other factors that have led to this launch.

 

“We could have come in here 20 years ago and tried to do what we do, and we won't have had success. Consumers are driving the changes in the market – there is a confidence, an interest to discover and experiment and try different things, which is opening the possibilities for the whole category,” he said.

 

The product will be rolled out nationally in a staggered manner in the coming 24-36 months. The next batch of the whiskey, said Teeling, will be produced early next year.