Officer's Choice maker Allied Blenders in talks to partner global spirits firms to prop up portfolio
Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD), which owns the Officer's Choice whisky brand, is in talks with vodka giant Russian Standard and Bangkok-based Thai Beverage (ThaiBev) to market and distribute their products in India, two executives privy to the development said.
The talks, if fructify, will help ABD to widen its product portfolio from largely whisky to a host of spirit segments such as vodka and scotch, while the two global companies will get an entry into the world's biggest alcohol consuming country with a strong partner which has robust distribution and manufacturing capabilities, the executives said.
ThaiBev's global portfolio through its arm International Beverage includes scotch brands Old Pulteney, Speyburn, Balblair, Reid vodka, Phraya rum and Source gin. The company is owned by Thai-Chinese billionaire businessman Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Russian Standard is the largest vodka brand, owned by billionaire Roustam Tariko.
ABD, Russian Standard and ThaiBev did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Kishore Chhabria-promoted ABD is the third largest homegrown Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) company in the country, selling nearly 33 million cases in FY23. Unlike rivals such as United Spirits and Pernod Ricard that get more than 65% of their sales from semi-premium and above segments, ABD's sales are skewed towards Officer's Choice. While the brand contributes a bulk of its sales, its share has been coming down in favour of new and pricier products.
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