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Scotch Whisky
India is poised to become the largest global scotch whisky market in value and volume terms over the next few years, fuelled by competitive intensity, premiumisation and economic growth, Scotch Whisky Association Chief Executive Mark Kent CMG has said. Mark Kent also appreciated the rise of India's single malt whisky, saying the Scotch Whisky Association is looking for partnerships with them not only for export to the UK market but also to explore other global markets together. Noting the emergence of the Indian single malt category, some of which recently won several prestigious international accolades, the chief executive said he is going to speak with the Indian Malt Whiskey Association, as they share the same views on the importance of quality in manufacturing and working together. This is a significant opportunity for both the Indian and Scottish industries. There is an opportunity for Indian companies to boost exports of Indian single malt to the UK and forge partnerships for
Import of bulk Scotch will increase in India after signing of Free Trade Agreement with the UK, which will be used by IMFL makers and bottling in India, according to Scotch Whisky Association Chief Executive Mark Kent CMG. The FTA between India and the UK, which is awaiting ratification, will also see a variety of quality Scotch whisky coming into the country, especially from some of the smaller producers from Scotland, Mark Kent told PTI in an interview. "You will see more bulk whiskey coming into India as a result of the free trade agreement, both for bottling in India, and for incorporating into IMFL (India-Made Foreign Liquor)," he said. This is normal, because as the Indian market is growing year-on-year, the increasing demand will see greater quantities being imported, Mark Kent said. He is quite encouraged by the trend of premiumisation happening in India, the world's largest whisky market and is "optimistic" for the prospects of Scotch whisky here. India is the world's num
South Indian states dominate the sales of IMFL, accounting for 58 per cent revenue in FY25, with Karnataka retaining the top national slot by contributing 17 per cent of the pan-India volumes in FY25, according to data from industry body CIABC. Five Southern states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, along with Union Territory Puducherry, have retained their dominance in the sales of the Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), consuming 23.18 crore cases (jointly contributing 58 per cent sales) for the financial year ended on March 31, 2025. "South's dominance is near-absolute" in IMFL sales in FY25, with "the rest of India shares the remaining 42 per cent", said data sourced from the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC). However, on a pan-India level, sales volume of IMFL Whisky has declined 1.4 per cent year-on-year in FY25 to 40.17 crore cases. When asked, CIABC Director General Anant S Iyer said overall sales have been slow in FY25
India is a high priority market for the leading Scotch whisky and premium spirits maker William Grant & Sons, with potential to become one of its top five markets globally in the coming years, a top company official has said. The family-owned premium spirits company, which owns various brands, including Glenfiddich, Monkey Shoulder, Balvenie and Hendrick's Gin, entered India 10 years ago. And the growth in the country has been very promising, William Grant & Sons India Managing Director Sachin Mehta told PTI. The Scotland-based premium spirits maker has unveiled 'The Balvenie Fifty', a 50-year-old ultra-rare Speyside single malt scotch whisky in the Indian market. Only one bottle of The Balvenie Fifty First Edition' aged in a European oak refill cask, filled in 1973, has been made available in India, offering a unique opportunity for collectors and connoisseurs to own a piece of whisky history. When asked about its price, Mehta said: "Balvenie Fifty is probably going to be in .
Indian premium whisky distillers expect that the duty concessions on Scotch imports under the India-UK free trade agreement will help improve their margins and speed up growth. A lower customs duty on bulk Scotch, used by many Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) companies for blending, will reduce costs and make premium spirits more affordable in the Indian market, which is the world's largest for whisky, they added. Under the trade pact, announced earlier this month, India will reduce duties on UK whisky and gin from 150 per cent to 75 per cent, and further to 40 per cent by the tenth year. Home-grown players like Radico Khaitan, Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD), and John Distilleries said the move will give Indian consumers more choices and better access to high-quality spirits. Radico Khaitan, the largest importer of Scotch whisky for blending and which owns award-winning single malt 'Rampur' and Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin, said the FTA has "significant potential" for cost ...
India's rising affluent class is fuelling a surge in high-end spirits sales, with Scotch whisky and fine wines registering double-digit growth, outpacing consumption rates in the US and China, according to a Switzerland-based researcher. "One subcategory where India surpasses China and is growing at double the rate of the USA over a five-year CAGR is Scotch luxury whisky," Simon Joseph, a senior luxury brand builder and consumer experience expert based in Zurich, said. Joseph, a researcher with Glion Institute of Higher Education, said according to various data forecasts, the luxury Scotch whisky market is also growing at 16 per cent CAGR up to 2024-end. Scotch whisky exports to India grew at a compound annual growth rate of 66% up to 2022, outpacing the US, China, and other significant markets, Joseph said, citing data from the UK-based Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). According to the UK-based SWA data, the equivalent of 167 million bottles were exported to India in 2023, up 27%
India looks for greater market access on a reciprocal basis for its alcoholic beverages while negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs), a senior government official said on Thursday. Additional Secretary in the Commerce Ministry, Rajesh Agrawal, said that demand for Indian spirits is growing in the world. "On the market access point of view, it is on a reciprocal basis. If we are opening up our market in any way...we also try to look for market access in other countries," he told reporters here. The remarks assume significance as India is negotiating a free trade agreement with the UK and the European Union (EU). Cutting customs duties in the sector is one of the key demands of these countries. "This is one of the areas (where) we are trying to negotiate upon and...we are trying to see that the duty concessions that are required in various destinations, we get (that)," he said. He added that the condition that for a product to qualify as a whisky, it must be matured for a period n