

Allied Blenders leans on premium customers as mass consumption slows
: As tax hikes in major states and last year’s slowdown in middle-class consumption hurt mass alcohol brands that were the strength of the industry, Allied Blenders and Distilleries Ltd is homing in on premium customers.In March, the Mumbai-based distiller launched a premium and luxury spirits subsidiary, ABD Maestro, in partnership with Hindi film actor Ranveer Singh. The company is expecting to close FY26 with a revenue of ₹100 crore annualized run rate (ARR) and aims to double that in the next financial year, Alok Gupta, Allied Blenders’ managing director, told Mint in an interview.ABD Maestro is home to Allied Blenders’ premium brands, including small batch gin brands Zoya and Pumori, vodka brand Rangeela, and Yello, a whiskey the company launched just last month.“What we have been working on is to figure out what the forward consumption is, where the consumer is likely to go in the sipping and cocktails terrain,” Gupta said.
“We are trying to stitch up a portfolio which is future-ready. A lot of the work we are doing today is on how consumption is likely to happen in the next three-five years.” ABD Maestro crossed ₹40 crore in annualized revenue.Allied Blenders is focused on building curated products for premium Indian customers who are keen to ditch imported alcohol for high-end goods made in India, Gupta said.
“People are drinking premium white spirits, but they are also buying into the stories and want to know what makes the product unique,” he added. This includes a shift in ‘sipping culture’ from just whiskeys and single malts to tequilas and rums, where consumers pay extra for a premium or luxury that has character and is known for its taste.
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