Indian Whisky Dethrones Diageo and Pernod Ricard Brands
Indian whisky brands have outperformed renowned distillery giants Diageo and Pernod Ricard. Indian spirits are changing the global whisky market and forcing established brands to reconsider marketing strategies and whisky components.
No one expected the whisky distillery kings, Diageo and Pernod Ricard, to lose the throne. At least not to newcomers like India. This country was once known for its huge whisky imports and consumption of international drinks, is now producing and exporting its own.
Global Changes Inspired by Indian Whisky Growth
In August 2023, the world whisky community was shocked by an Indian whisky performance. Pitted against the likes of Diageo and Pernod Ricard, Indri was crowned the world’s best whisky. How did this happen and why didn’t anyone see it coming?
Actually, they did. In 2022, Pernod’s bigger rival, Diageo, launched Godawan, a single malt named for a large, endangered Indian bird. The whisky was the first drink produced in India by the distillery which distributes it to five foreign markets, including the U.S.
“We seem to be moving from whisky in India to Indian whisky – within India and globally,” said Vikram Damodaran, Diageo’s India chief innovation officer.
Notably, Pernod Ricard did not stay behind. Earlier this year, it rolled its first Indian-produced whisky. Longitude 77. The whisky was launched with a royal-style gala that invited CEOs, diplomats, celebrity chefs, and other guests from the whisky and business community.
“We are extremely bullish about this category. It has seen unprecedented growth,” said Kartik Mohindra, Pernod India’s chief marketing officer.
While Pernod’s Glenlivet grew 39% by volume last year, it lost out to Amrut, which spiked 183%, according to Euromonitor data. Amrut is an Indian whisky.
In addition, Indian single malt whisky has out-sell Scotch whisky and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. In 2021-22, consumption of Indian single malts soared 144%, compared with Scotch, which grew 32 percent. According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, sales of Indian single malts will rise 13 percent annually until 2027, compared with Scotch’s growth of 8 percent.