Liquor Sale

In 'dry' Gujarat, govt collects ₹34 cr in tax in two years on liquor sales

The Gujarat government has collected Rs 33.98 crore in taxes in two years from sale of liquor through 28 hotels in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts, the state assembly was informed on Monday. During Question Hour in the ongoing Budget Session, Congress MLA Imran Khedawala raised the query related to number of hotels having permits to sell liquor in these two districts and the tax collected by the government during the last two years. In his written response, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who handles Prohibition and Excise department, said 22 hotels in Ahmedabad and six hotels in Gandhinagar district have been given permits to sell liquor. The state government earned Rs 14.45 crore in 2023 and Rs 19.53 crore in 2024 as tax on the sale of liquor at these hotels, Patel said. Patel added that no permit has been cancelled during the last two years. Notably, Gujarat has been a 'dry' state since its inception and sale of liquor is regulated by the government.

Premiumisation in Indian spirits accelerating with income growth: Pernod

The premiumisation of the liquor industry is happening very fast, helped by trends such as growth in disposable income and young generation's aspirations to have a more elevated experience, French spirit maker Pernod Ricard India MD Jean Touboul said on Friday. The mass spirits market will continue to be there, however, it is also premiumising as people now aspire for better products as they prefer "to drink less probably but drink better stuff", Touboul said while speaking at a session during India Today Conclave here "This trend is growing in the younger generation, which means when they grow older when their disposable income grows with life, we should see this trend continuing, if not accelerating," he said. Touboul also mentioned the role of innovation and said it is very important and key for Pernod Ricard's business because if you want to interact with the consumer to evolve them, then products delivering higher value are needed. Pernod Ricard, which has launched its first .

Liquor firms' body urges govt to curb dumping, grow global market

Alcoholic beverages makers' body CIABC on Saturday urged the government to impose stringent measures to curb dumping of imported spirits and ensure greater market access for domestic products. The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) said the Indian liquor manufacturers are not against reduction in import duty, though they have sought the import duty cuts in a phased manner. India on February 13 slashed import duty on bourbon whiskey to 100 per cent. It is mainly imported from the US. The confederation "has urged the government to address the concerns of the Indian companies and ensure a level-playing field in FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations and set in stringent effective measures to check and curb dumping of imported spirits and seeking better international access for Indian alcoholic products which face several non-tariff restrictions at present," it said in a statement. It has also requested the states to withdraw excise duty concessions given to

Beer industry brought in Rs 92,324 cr to GDP in 2023: Brewers association

The Indian beer industry contributed Rs 92,324 crore (USD 10.6 billion) to the country's economy in 2023, which represented 0.3 per cent of the national GDP, said Brewers Association of India citing a study conducted by Oxford Economics. This is part of the Rs 76.45 lakh crore (USD 878 billion) poured into the global GDP by the beer industry globally, according to the report. Brewers' direct contribution in India stood at Rs 40,050 crore (USD 4.6 billion) and over Rs 52,239 crore (USD 6 billion) by the downstream value chain. The beer industry also supported public finances as the sector contributed Rs 51,376 crore (USD 5.9 billion) in tax revenues through excise, sales taxes, other taxes, and the taxes paid by the downstream value chain. "This is 1.8 per cent of the government tax revenues," the statement said. Besides, the beer industry supported 0.3 per cent of national employment. It generated 13 lakh jobs, of which 5.4 lakh jobs were directly by the brewers, while 7.8 lakh we

Pernod Ricard considers sale of GH Mumm to focus on premium labels

The company has been selective in who it sells assets to and a sale may not happen, the person cautioned

MP CM Mohan Yadav announces closure of liquor vends in 17 holy towns

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said his government has decided to shut down liquor shops in 17 holy towns in the state. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting held during the day in Khargone, he added. The 17 towns consist of one municipal corporation, six nagar palikas (municipalities), six nagar parishads (urban councils) and six village panchayats. "In the first step to bring about an end to drinking in the state, liquor vends in 17 holy towns will be shut down. These shops will not be shifted elsewhere. Liquor shops will be completely shut in Ujjain Municipal Corporation limits," the chief minister told reporters. The areas in which liquor vends will be shut down are part of Datia, Panna, Mandla, Multai, Mandsaur and Maihar nagar palikas, as well as Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Mandleshwar, Orchha, Chitrakoot and Amarkantak nagar parishads, Yadav informed. The six village panchayats are Salkanpur, Barman Kala, Linga, Kundalpur, Bandakpur and Barmankhurd,

20,000 illicit liquor bottles worth Rs 50 lakh seized ahead of Delhi polls

The Delhi government's excise department has seized nearly 20,000 bottles of illicit liquor worth Rs 50 lakh over the last fortnight, since the Model Code of Conduct for the Assembly polls came into force, officials said on Friday. The total worth of the seizures, including 15,376 litre of illicit alcohol (both Indian-made foreign liquor or IMFL and country liquor) and 32 vehicles stood at around Rs 1.5 crore, they said. So far, 52 cases have been registered in connection with the seized illicit liquor. The liquor seized by the excise department after the imposition of the MCC is around 25 per cent of the total seizure, including that by the Delhi Police, the officials said. Teams of the Excise Intelligence Bureau (EIB) have been working hard to gather inputs on liquor smuggled mostly from neighbouring Haryana and catch the offenders, said a senior excise department officer. Voting for the 70-member Delhi Assembly is due on February 5. The counting of votes is scheduled to take pla

Delhi's excise revenue up by 13% in first three quarters of 2024-25

Delhi government's excise revenue from liquor trade saw a jump of around 13 per cent in the first three quarters of 2024-25, officials said on Sunday. The revenue jumped to Rs 6,061 crore from Rs 5,361 crore in the corresponding period in previous fiscal, they said. The sale of liquor bottles on New Year's Eve, however, saw a decline. On December 31, 2024, a total of 23 lakh bottles were sold, as against 24 lakh in 2023. The decline was attributed to December 31 being a Tuesday, when many avoid liquor consumption owing to religious reasons. The department's revenue consisted of Rs 4,233 crore it got in excise duty and Rs 1,828 as Value Added Tax. In comparison, the department in April-December 2023, earned Rs 5,361 crore in excise revenue, including Rs 1,643 crore as VAT. A target of Rs 6,400 crore in revenue was set for the financial year 2024-25. In the 2023-24 fiscal, the total excise duty collected was Rs 5,164 crore.

New Year sees a 'spirited' start as liquor sales surge in several states

New Year's Eve in Kerala saw liquor sales worth Rs 108 crore, while alcohol worth Rs 97.42 crore was sold on Christmas Eve. Noida, Greater Noida records Rs 14 crore liquor sales

AI Express inaugural Surat-Bangkok flight records brisk liquor sales

Air India Express' inaugural four-hour flight from Surat in Gujarat to Thailand capital Bangkok saw good sales of liquor onboard, with some passengers claiming the stock ran out. The flight, operated with a Boeing 737-8 aircraft on Friday, had 175 passengers and six crew members onboard. The passenger capacity of the plane is 176. Liquor consumption is prohibited in Gujarat. Officials of the budget airline on Sunday said there were brisk sales of alcohol on the flight from Surat to Bangkok and the stock was not exhausted, as claimed by some on social media. Some passengers had taken to social media, saying the airline ran out of liquor. There was sufficient stock of liquor as well as food onboard, the officials added. There was no official statement from the Tata Group-owned Air India Express. According to the officials, generally, a passenger is not served more than 100 ml of liquor during a flight. The airline offers five types of liquor onboard. A 50 ml of Chivas Regal is p

HP govt bans gutkha, liquor ads from state buses, promoting public welfare

HP government to remove gutkha and liquor ads from buses and it will modernise the bus fleet by introducing electric and diesel buses

SC issues notice on petition for age checks at bars and liquor stores

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre in response to a petition calling for mandatory age verification at liquor outlets to prevent underage drinking and accidents

John Distilleries expects Rs 2,500 crore revenue in the next 5 years

John Distilleries Ltd, a Bengaluru-based liquor maker, expects around Rs 2,500 crore net revenue in the next five years, led by the expansion of its product portfolio, premiumisation and capacity expansion, said its Chairman Paul P John on Thursday. The owner of popular single malt whiskey Paul John is also planning to set up a green field manufacturing unit in Karnataka to double its production capacity by investing around Rs 600 crore, which will be funded through a mix of debt and cash from internal accruals. John Distilleries Ltd (JDL) has identified a land parcel in Karnataka and expects the proposed green field unit to be operational by 2030, he said. "Now, we have already reached 10,000 litres production capacity per day. But this will suffice for the next four or five years. So, we need to expand. At the pace that we are growing and the focus that we have, we need another 12,000-litre capacity plant somewhere, and we are looking at Karnataka for that," John told PTI in an ..

At 38.7 mn bottles, pre-Diwali liquor sales set new high in Delhi

Liquor sales in the national capital in the fortnight leading to Diwali set a record with over 3.87 crore bottles sold, mopping up a revenue of Rs 447.62 crore for the excise department of Delhi government, officials said on Saturday. From October 15 to October 30, a whopping 3.87 crore bottles were sold from the liquor stores run by four corporations of Delhi government, including 2.98 crore bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and 89.48 lakh beer bottles, official figures showed. Diwali celebrated on October 31 was a 'dry day', meaning all liquor stores were closed across the city on that day. On Diwali eve on October 30, a total of 33.80 lakh bottles were sold, yielding a revenue of Rs 61.56 crore, according to the data. As compared to last year, 1.18 crore more bottles were sold in the fortnight leading to Diwali this year, from 2.69 crore in 2023 to 3.87 crore this time. Emerging from the shadows of the disruptions caused due to the withdrawal of the 2021-22 liquor ..

Why did liquor demand drop for the first time since Covid in Sep quarter?

Whisky, which makes up two-thirds of the spirits segment, experienced a 1 per cent drop in volume, with brandy and rum also falling by 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively

Andhra Pradesh's new liquor policy: Rs 99 liquor to counter illegal influx

The Andhra Pradesh government has rolled out a new liquor policy aimed at boosting revenue by Rs 30,000 crore, curbing illegal trade, and funding welfare schemes

India beating US, China's consumption rates of premium spirits: Researcher

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%

Delhi officials reject Pernod liquor licence appeal, cite investigations

The rejection adds to Pernod's India woes, with the French drinks group facing two antitrust cases in India while it also contests a tax demand for nearly $250 million

Raise a toast: State govts may allow home delivery of your favourite drink

State authorities are reportedly seeking feedback on the advantages and disadvantages of online liquor delivery from e-commerce platforms and spirits manufacturers

Delhi Airport T3 opens first retail liquor store for domestic passengers

The liquor store at Terminal 3 will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unlike other retail liquor shops in Delhi. A similar store is also expected to open in Terminal 1