'Indian single malts are helping the entire category grow'

livemint.com:

Mint. “They're also helping people upgrade from scotch and other blended whiskies to try something newer, more refined. We haven't seen any reduction in sales since the time these brands have become popular.

I am looking at this very positively," he added. Compared to the usual variants of whiskies aged up to 18 years that the company was selling in the country since it started operations here a decade ago, William Grant is now introducing many more rare single malt variants to the country. This is because India has emerged as one of the top five markets for William Grant globally, across most of its portfolio of brands, especially whiskies.

The company also makes the popular Hendrick's gin. India is the largest consumer of brown spirits like whisky. Rising incomes, increased awareness, and a plethora of new choices, are leading to a shift in the consumption pattern of tipplers.

As per industry data from drinks and beverages consultancy IWSR, the overall single malts business in India is pegged to grow the maximum within the whisky category, at 5.5%, till 2027. In contrast, the entire alcoholic beverages industry is expected to grow only 3.7% during the period. Moreover, the entire whisky category is expected to grow from $210 million in 2022 to $480 million, in 2027.

Across different spirits, it is whisky which is expected to dominate the alco-bev sector, with approximate sales of 243 million cases, accounting for 63% of the total spirits' market. While still at a nascent stage, Indian single malts have been gaining strong market share. The category grew at a rate of 14,200% between 2022 and 2021, to 2.81 lakh cases (of 9 litres each) being consumed in the year.