meant an obligatory stop at the airport duty-free liquor store, where he would join long queues to stock up on imported single-malt whisky. Then three years ago, he came across a brand – Paul John – that he had never heard of, at a tasting event a few miles from Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he teaches politics. It was an Indian single malt; its smoky smell was rich, the taste was even better. Singh was hooked.
Vinod Giri, who heads the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies , says homegrown single malts constitute 33% of the market in India, up from 15% five years ago. That figure is poised for an even more rapid rise: sales have surged by an average annual rate of 42% over the past three years, compared with just 7% for imported rivals, according to CIABC data.This trend has caught the attention of global firms too.
Indri Trini, a new Indian single malt from the northern state of Haryana, was launched last year and has already“Only the crème de la crème of Indian society was familiar with single malts until recently, and it only knew and trusted foreign whisky,” says Pramod Kashyap, Amrut’s head of international operations, explaining why Indian brands were more confident about launching their whiskies globally than they were about their home market.
Indian whiskies also offer unique tastes, says Devaki Rajagopalan, a Bengaluru-based marketing executive. Her favourite is Amrut Amalgam, which marries the fruity flavours of nectarine, melon and pears with the smokiness of peat and the sharp punch of Indian black pepper. “I’ve tried whiskies around the world and I’ve never had an aftertaste that lingers so powerfully,” she says.