Tipping over tippling: Scotch consumption in India has doubled since 2020

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Scotch sales in India have nearly doubled in the past two years on the back of higher consumption by millennials and a growing middle class, a report by The Economic Times (ET) said on Thursday.

The report, based on data by global alcohol market analysts IWSR, said that India consumed 7.5 million cases of Scotch whisky in 2022 as compared to 3.9 million in 2020. One case has nine litres of whisky.

The data also highlighted that in 2022, India became the world's leading Scotch export destination by volume. In 2020, India was second to France in Scotch imports in terms of volume. Moreover, it also shows that premiumisation in Scotch is evident.

Moreover, the report said that premium whisky is now a popular choice for millennials owing to increasing income. Its versatility as a cocktail mix and easy availability through restaurants are also important reasons for its rise in demand.

Shweta Jain, chief business development officer of premium, luxury, reserve and craft at Diageo India, retailing brands such as Johnnie Walker, Black Dog and Singleton, told ET, "Indian consumers have preferred Scotch for its depth of flavours for generations. The young legal drinking age entrants continue to find that aspirational and have started discovering the versatility that Scotch gives to various occasions and serves."

Another industry expert, Sachin Mehta, country director-India and Indian subcontinent at William Grant & Sons, which owns Glenfiddich and Balvenie brands, was also quoted in the report as saying, "Premium products across spirits are under-indexed and this is a natural correction, accelerated by at-home drinking which made people shift consumption to less but better quality drinking."

The executives also said that a significant purchase volume shifted from global travel retail to domestic retail during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and has not returned since then.

However, despite the surge in demand, Scotch still accounts for just 3.1 per cent of the total alcohol consumption in India.