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ABD plan for premium Indian whisky
India’s largest domestic spirits maker Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD) is aiming to enter the premium whisky market by the end of this year in an effort to cash in on the “premiumisation” trend in the sub-continent.
Committed to moving on from the company’s successful mid-market Officer’s Choice whisky brand, ABD vice-chairman and chief executive Deepak Roy said, “We are done with the Officer’s Choice brand extension and the new brand will really be a premium as we already have a semi-premium whisky in Officer’s Choice Black,” reports India’s Economic Times.
Explaining the reasons for entering the premium end of the market, Roy said, “While we have a premium brandy in Kyron, and a semi-premium whisky with Officer’s Choice Black, we have been missing a premium brand.”
“This is a calculated move as the industry has been on a premiumisation drive for some time now. Moreover, the margin is much higher in this segment and this will complement our existing bouquet of brands,” he added.
ABD achieved record sales in the last fiscal year, with its flagship Officer’s Choice whisky selling 25 million cases, clocking a growth rate of 14% over the previous year.
Officer’s Choice is the largest selling regular whisky in India, with 32% of the market share.