Alcohol

France curbs public alcohol consumption, outdoor sports amid scorching heat

France is putting emergency services and military forces on wildfire alert, restricting public alcohol consumption and cancelling some outdoor sports events to cope with a heat wave unfurling across parts of Europe. About a third of France is under the national weather service's heat red alert Sunday and temperatures are high nationwide, expected to reach 40 C on Sunday in some areas, in a country where air-conditioning isn't widespread. The forecast for Monday is even hotter. The Eiffel Tower and other Paris venues set up misting stations to cool crowds, among a raft of measures announced by national and local authorities to minimize risks. More than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the last four years, and most of the fatalities were preventable, the World Health Organisation's Europe office said this month. More above-average temperatures are expected this summer, which can cause heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke. WHO's Europe office

Liquor firms urge Telangana to clear ₹3,700 cr dues before discount rollout

Industry bodies representing more than 80 per cent of India's alcoholic beverage market have urged Telangana to clear pending payments before implementing a new early-payment discount mechanism

MakaDi and Borecha maker LB Brewers eyes ₹500 cr sales, IPO plans on cards

Goa-based Latambarcem Brewers (LB Brewers), which owns craft beer MakaDi and functional beverage drink 'Borecha', plans to cross the Rs 500 crore revenue mark in the next 4-5 years and also has listing plans in the mid-term to fund its expansion plans, said a company official. The company, which started its journey from a home-brewing experiment at a US apartment, has evolved into a fast-growing beverage business in India, and has plans to cross Rs 60 crore this fiscal from nearly Rs 24 crore in the previous year, driven by rapid expansion across Indian states and overseas markets, said its Chief Growth Officer Sarika Varshnei. LB Brewers has a pan-India presence of Borecha, while its beer brand 'MakaDi', which has presence in 10 states, is expected to become profitable this fiscal. "In the next five years, we expect to cross the Rs 500-crore revenue mark, and potentially exceed it. I am probably being conservative in that estimate. I am not a finance person; my focus has always bee

Beer sales in Delhi rise 10% in May as popular brands return: Excise data

Beer sales rose nearly 10 per cent in May this year compared to the same period last year, driven by the return of popular national brands on retail shelves, according to excise department officials. According to data, the share of well-known national beer brands increased to 54 per cent in May this year, up from 24 per cent in May 2025. In 2024, their share stood at 38 per cent. The data further showed that the share of other brands, including lesser-known labels and imports from Nepal and Bhutan, declined to 46 per cent this year from 62 per cent in May 2024. "The beer sales have also seen around 10 per cent increase this May, in comparison to the previous year of the same period. In May last year, 10,10,524 cases of beer were sold, while this year, it has increased to 11,12,761 cases," an official document said. Of this, national brands accounted for 5,96,351 cases this May, compared to 2,47,143 cases in the corresponding period last year. The data also shows that draught beer

High spirits: Indian liquor brands bet on premium buzz in Hindi heartland

Liquor makers are targeting the Hindi heartland as rising incomes, policy reforms and evolving tastes fuel demand for premium spirits and craft alcohol

Moët Hennessy eyes double-digit growth in India amid premiumisation push

Moët Hennessy India is betting on premium whisky, rising demand in smaller cities and experiential consumption to drive strong double-digit growth

Karnataka introduces AIB-based excise system, revises liquor rates

The Karnataka government has implemented an Alcohol-in-Beverage (AIB)-based excise duty structure in the state and revised the rates of liquor. In a press note issued on Sunday, the State Excise Department said the new taxation structure, which has been done for the first time in India in line with the 2026-27 Budget announcement of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, was aimed at rationalising liquor pricing, making alcoholic beverages available at cheaper rates for consumers in Karnataka and aligning prices with neighbouring states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Kerala. "For the first time in India, the AIB-based excise duty structure has been implemented in Karnataka from May 11, 2026. It is globally recognised as the gold standard for alcohol taxation," the department said. Under the new policy, the government-administered price fixation has been completely deregulated, it said, and added that product placement within slabs has been left to the ...

United Spirits Q4 net profit rises 28%, bullish on India opportunity

Diageo India reports resilient quarterly growth led by premium portfolio despite adverse impact from Maharashtra liquor policy changes

Alcoholic beverage industry seeks price hike as costs rise amid Iran war

Alcoholic beverage makers have sought a reasonable price hike from state governments to deal with pressures arising out of rising can and bottle costs due to supply chain disruptions triggered by the West Asia crisis. Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) and the Brewers Association of India (BAI) have urged states to allow revisions of IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor), wine and beer products and provide interim relief measures to help manufacturers cope with rising production costs. BAI has asked state governments to allow suppliers a price increase of 15-20 per cent to partially offset the impact of rising input costs. In letters sent to state governments, BAI Director General Vinod Giri said the conflict has triggered a sharp increase in input costs across categories. "Glass bottle prices have risen by around 20 per cent, paper cartons have increased by almost 100 per cent, and materials such as LDPE, BOPP and adhesives have become costlier by 20-25 per .

Piccadily Agro Q4FY26 results: Net profit rises 13.6% to ₹45.2 crore

Piccadily Agro Industries Ltd, maker of single malt whisky Indri and Camikara Rum, has reported a 13.6 per cent increase in its net profit to Rs 45.22 crore for the March quarter of FY26 on a year-on-year basis, driven by its premium alchoBev portfolio. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 39.80 crore in the January-March quarter a year ago, according to a regulatory filing by Piccadily Agro. Its sales rose 31.8 per cent to Rs 353.69 crore in the December quarter of FY26, compared to Rs 268.23 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. Revenue from the operation of Siddhartha Sharma-promoted company stood at Rs 359.56 crore in Q4 FY26, up 32.37 per cent from the year-ago period. Total expenses of Piccadily Agro, which is demerging its sugar business and expects completion by the end of FY27, were at 300.86 crore in the March quarter, up 36.37 per cent year-on-year. During the quarter, revenue from "distillery grew by 65.6 per cent and sugar declined by 7.9 per

Packaging costs to dent alcobev margins by up to 200 bps, says Crisil

Alcobev firms may see margins shrink 150-200 bps and growth slow as glass bottle shortages and rising packaging costs, driven by LNG disruptions, weigh on operations

Allied Blenders & Distillers appoints Amar Sinha as MD-designate

ABD appoints Amar Sinha as managing director as Alok Gupta's tenure nears end, aiming to drive growth and transformation in India's premiumising spirits market

GenZ raises the bar as value replaces volume in India's alcobev shift

Gen Z is driving a shift from volume to value in India's alcobev market, favouring premium, experience-led consumption, low-ABV formats, and authenticity over brand loyalty

RCB deal and growth outlook are positive triggers for United Spirits

Sale of RCB stake to boost cash flows and support deleveraging, while premiumisation and policy shifts underpin steady growth outlook for United Spirits

Excise policy changes across states positive for listed liquor majors

Instead of steep hikes, states are relying on licence fee increases, reserve price revisions, and recalibration of tax

Karnataka scraps liquor price control structure, adopts alcohol-based tax

Karnataka will end liquor price control and adopt an alcohol-in-beverage-based tax from April 2026, with reforms aimed at transparency, compliance ease and boosting excise revenue

India's Karnataka state to end alcohol price controls from April 2026

India is the world's eighth-largest alcohol market with annual revenues of $45 billion, each state has its own regulations and pricing

Hepatitis myths busted: Alcohol, transmission & liver health explained

Is hepatitis always caused by alcohol? Does it spread through touch or food? Can herbal remedies cure it? In this episode of our fact-check series, a liver specialist debunks common hepatitis myths

Soufflet Malt to invest $118 mn in new India facility amid high beer demand

Soufflet Malt's push in emerging markets contrasts with restructuring in Europe, where it faces declining beer consumption

India-EU trade pact: India offers 30% duty reduction on imported wine

Sula Vineyards sees limited impact only on premium range, lauds trade pact