By Reya Mehrotra
India’s relationship with alcohol has been a rather shy one. On some occasions, if we have drunk with a napkin covering our glasses, on other people, the males of the property would be seen possessing a secret drink or getting met with frowned brows if they make a decision to have it in the open.
The dynamics are, nevertheless, no longer the very same. The evolving drinking preferences of the younger generation and the expanding liquor marketplace in the Indian subcontinent have brought about a sea transform in the way individuals are possessing their alcohol. Experiment is the essential word right here.
Today, the liquor palate of the typical Indian can broadly be split into 3 categories—beer, whisky and nation liquor—according to Vikram Damodaran, chief innovation officer, Diageo India.
“The remaining spirits do play a role and are finding their legs in an increasing number of occasions and demographies, but they are still small in comparison to whisky. The younger consumers are preferring beer and are ready to mix offerings,” he explains in a nutshell.
So, let’s come across out what precisely is the taste of the Indian drinkers and how the country’s liquor sector is flourishing globally. Then, there is also the story of yet another India, a lesser privileged one, that is surviving on less costly possibilities.
The pandemic push
The Indian liquor marketplace has been undergoing a transformation in the previous 3 to 4 years as the demand for high-quality items is increasing, particularly about the urban areas—the Covid-19 pandemic only hastened the method. Sophia Sinha, marketing and advertising head of Moët Hennessy India, a subsidiary of Moet Hennessy, a top luxury group, points out, “Everyone turned into a quarantine chef last year and wanted to experiment with flavours.” With the additional revenue due to the lockdown (as travel expense was saved), individuals gravitated towards enhancing the high-quality of the items they purchased, which includes upgrading the drinks they consumed, she adds.
This was broadly witnessed throughout the lockdown as individuals lined up to invest in liquor even as most shops remained shut. This even prompted the home delivery of liquor as lots of states permitted the very same. According to marketplace study firm YouGov’s 2021 report titled ‘International FMCG/CPG Report 2021: Consumer Goods in a Crisis’ based on more than 18,000 interviews across 17 worldwide markets, consumption of alcohol in India has elevated for 3 in 10 urban Indians (29%). In truth, India (29%) and China (27%) are the top markets exactly where individuals mentioned that they have consumed more alcohol throughout the pandemic than elsewhere in the world.
“As the consumers are now better connected virtually and are aware, the quality of consumption is going up. The flavour profiles are changing as the younger consumers are preferring healthier and sustainable options and are willing to pay more for quality. India has a lot of potential now,” Sinha says.
However, gone are the days when liquor experiments have been centred about metropolitan cities. Brands agree that even in the tier 2 cities, the demand for high-quality has risen sharply more than the last two years and this shift ought to be credited to social media and the Covid-19 pandemic.
A nation of browns
The truth that the Indian marketplace for liquor is very regulated and the sale of alcohol is a state topic with very controlled distribution has not in any way impacted India’s increasing appreciate for liquor. According to International Wine & Spirit Research (IWSR), which gives information, evaluation and insights on the worldwide beverage alcohol marketplace, India is the sixth largest worldwide location for Scotch whisky and 93% of all whisky traded in India falls into the ‘value’ segment, leaving a lot of scope to create the greater-finish segments. This establishes that out of all forms of liquor, whisky remains India’s major preference and brands are innovating and tapping into this demand.
When it comes to single malt whiskies, Bengaluru-based Amrut Distilleries has established its mark globally. In 2010, its flagship single malt was named the third ideal whisky in the world in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. Rakshit Jagdale, MD of Amrut Distilleries, points out their uniqueness in the barley grown in India. “We source it from states like Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana, malt it in Delhi and then bring it to Bengaluru, where we double distill our whiskies. Bengaluru has a different altitude and climate than any part of the world,” he says.
Jagdale agrees that buyers are prepared to attempt out some thing new in the marketplace as they are nicely travelled now and are exposed to consuming high-quality alcohol. Amrut’s most well-known brands stay Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky, Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky, Amrut Indian Peated Single Malt Whisky, Amrut Portonova Single Malt Whisky and Amrut Intermediate Sherry, which are offered globally. The brand now plans to tap into the wine segment and introduce a brandy on the lines of cognac.
Although the taste of Amrut’s whisky remains uniform globally, the distinction lies in the strength of alcohol. While it is 46-50% globally, Indian states permit 42.8% due to the liquor policies in spot, explains Jagdale. Amrut is most likely to expand to one hundred nations, from the 60 at present, in the next two years.
Tapping into the demand, India’s oldest and biggest distilleries—UP-based Radico Khaitan—entered the single malt whisky segment in 2016. Today, it exports globally.
Scotch whiskies are also India’s favourites. Arun Kumar, co-founder, Aspri Spirits, explains that Scotch whiskies are produced in a distillery in Scotland and aged for a minimum of 3 years, even though blended Scotch whisky is a blend of whiskies from one or several distilleries in Scotland. Currently, the major performing markets for its Scottish Leader brand are Taiwan, South Africa, China, Central Europe, the UK and the Baltics—Lithuania and Latvia, exactly where it regularly features in the major 10 whiskies.
As for well-known whisky brands, Vikram Damodaran, chief innovation officer of Diageo India, shares that McDowell’s No 1 is the world’s biggest promoting whisky. Other brands like Royal Challenge, Signature and Antiquity, as well, are well-known in India and abroad, according to Abhishek Shahabadi, VP and portfolio head for luxury and premium brands, Diageo India.
When Grant’s India’s worldwide brand ambassador Daniel Dyer was asked throughout a Masterclass about how Indians like to drink their whiskies, he had mentioned: “Indians like it better with soda or water.” And it is only correct. The way individuals drink their whiskies as well has got to do with exactly where they come from. “I feel it has got to do with the weather. Here, it is hot and humid, so people drink whisky with soda. In Europe, liquor is consumed in winters and in autumns, neat or with a splash of water,” adds Jagdale of Amrut Distilleries.
According to Jagdale, the liquor preferences transform as we travel across geographies. South India is a brandy and rum marketplace and the north, central, west and to a specific extent east India is a whisky marketplace and, throughout winters, a brandy favourite. Arun Kumar of Aspri Spirits agrees that Westerners consume largely neat or on the rocks as Indians normally water it down or add soda. Payal Nijhawan, head of marketing and advertising for William Grant & Sons, the parent business for worldwide premium spirits brands like Monkey Shoulder, The Balvenie, Hendrick’s, Grant’s and Glenfiddich, says that their target audience prefers their whiskies neat or on the rocks. As for The Balvenie, Gemma Paterson, worldwide brand ambassador, says that possessing it with a splash of water opens the nose and the palate and reveals further layers of flavour.
Apart from the way individuals have their whiskies, India also finds its uniqueness in its taste. Scottish Leader’s crisp mixture of honey sweetness and citrus freshness is sweetly spiced with black peppercorns and has been made for the Indian palate. The Balvenie’s signature honeyed note, spicy and warm, wealthy flavour profile pairs nicely with Indian cuisine.
Not just whiskies, the nation of browns also loves all forms of brown liquor and that incorporates rum as nicely. Rum brand Old Monk has remained one of the most well-known rum brands in India for decades. But with the altering consumption behaviour and the willingness to experiment, newer brands are emerging. Take for instance, homegrown Maka Zai, a premium fine-tasting craft rum, which contrasts with the broadly sold entry-level dark rum well-known in India.
Maka Zai is distilled in Goa by banker-turned-blender Kasturi Banerjee’s Stilldistilling Spirit. “This is a time for rum. Globally, rum is evolving as an aspirational drink and people are talking about it more,” she says. Launched in January 2021 in Goa, the liquor maker, which has a white rum and India’s very first gold rum, has sold more than 1,300-1,400 situations in Goa and has raised Rs 3.4 crore to date.
Wine is fine
The nation that loves the browns is steadily but steadily creating a taste in reds and whites, even even though Indians are occasional wine drinkers.
Delhi-based sommelier Magandeep Singh defines the wine taste of India as “getting there”. “We are still aping the West and trying to emulate popular wine styles of the world. We don’t really have an innate style as such,” he shares.
However, with the pandemic and the erratic monsoons, the wine sector has not shown indicators of development. In October 2020, consulting firm Avalon Global Research traced Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Himachal Pradesh as essential wine making states and stated that in the Indian marketplace, Sula holds a 60% marketplace share.
The firm stated that wine tourism, the young population and exposure to western cultures have been driving the development in the sector but attributed the slow development to financial slowdown and government policies.
Gaurav Sekhri, director, Fratelli Wines, says that red wines are largely preferred more than white wines in the Indian subcontinent and that ratio is about 70:30, whereas globally it is more evenly spread. In the reds, Fratelli Wines’ Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are broadly planted and nicely adapted and Chenin and Sauvignon blanc in the white. The liking for rosè and sparkling is also catching up in India, he says.
As for wine likings as per age groups, he shares that the 35+ age group tends to take a liking towards super premium offerings like Sette, J’NOON and the youngsters have a tendency to gravitate towards single varietal variety. Sekhri says that not just metros, even tier 2 towns are catching up on wine. “Especially with the pandemic and many folks migrating to their hometowns, we have seen a rise in the consumption of some of our premium wines in tier 2 towns. For us, the urban and educated population is the biggest consumer base,” he says.
Being a significantly less well-known selection amongst all the drinks, Indians are however to come across out their precise palate in wine. Sumit Jaiswal, AVP-marketing and advertising and exim, Grover Zampa Vineyards, shares that the taste of any wine is the outcome of 4 essential factors—a winery’s viticulture or grape increasing practice, the high-quality of grape made use of, the winemaker’s expertise, and lastly the distinct procedures and gear made use of for winemaking.
“Terroir and microclimate in different regions play a big role on the quality of grapes that it produces. The taste and style of the wine depend on these two influences. In terms of overall styles of Indian wines, it has elegance and finesse of old-world wines and freshness and boldness of the new world,” he explains. “As our climate isn’t the same as Europe, we get different wines. This is what makes every wine region unique,” Magandeep Singh adds.
Since Indian cuisine is quite tannic and with a lot of spices, Fratelli wines are made slightly dry to cleanse the palate and make it approachable and drinkable.
Grin and beer it
Market study retailer Research and Markets’ 2021 report titled ‘Beer Market in India 2021’ predicts that in terms of volume, the beer marketplace, which was valued at 5,533.73 million litres in 2020, is anticipated to attain 9,004.74 million litres by 2025, expanding at a compound annual development price (CAGR) of 10.89% throughout the 2021–2025 period. It credits urbanisation and transform in societal viewpoint, along with the launch of new low- and no-alcohol variants of beer and technological advancements as substantial components propelling development.
What tends to make beer a favourite alcoholic beverage amongst Indians across genders and age groups is the hot climate, even though cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru are the ideal buyers of beer and experimental as they are more aligned to worldwide trends. Avneet Singh, founder of the mid-segment beer (not as well robust, not as well mild) Medusa Beverages that was began in 2017, shares that they made a turnover of Rs 70 crore in 2018 and Rs 150 crore in the upcoming years, clearly showcasing that there was a substantial demand for craft beer across the nation. “People have started preferring beer to hard liquor because there’s nothing like sipping a cold, fizzy beer on a hot day,” he adds.
However, Indians are nonetheless exploring the beer culture and with numerous microbreweries sprouting in metro cities, the transform is coming more rapidly than anticipated. Rahul Singh, founder and CEO of The Beer Café chain of restaurants, says that even though most individuals in India drink beer to get a higher, in urban cities, that is altering. “People are becoming experimental and now moving to ales. The Belgium style Tripel that has sweet, sour and spicy notes and coriander and orange tinge is becoming quite popular.” Avneet Singh of Medusa Beverages agrees with Singh that only a third of the country’s billion individuals drink frequently and when they do, it is to get buzzed. This precisely explains why robust beer outsells its low-alcohol counterparts, he adds.
Another purpose why beers are becoming the favourite is that they are lighter than alcoholic drinks and significantly less damaging. Singh believes that buyers are realising that the positive aspects of beer outweigh other alcoholic drinks.
Observing the increasing interest in experimenting with forms of beers, brands are more confident about introducing newer varieties into the Indian marketplace. Over the last decade, the wheat beer segment has created wide acceptance in India with a loyal base of buyers. Carlsberg India launched the Tuborg White, a European styled wheat-malt brew, and entered the premium wheat beer segment with a cloudy drink with a smooth refreshing taste and a subtle fruity twist.
The recipe for this brew was created particularly to appeal to Indians. Partha Jha, vice president marketing and advertising, Carlsberg India, terms it as a European style brew specially customised for the Indian customer. “With the easy-to-drink refreshing liquid layered under a delicate fruity twist, we are sure it will be loved not only by lager drinkers but all consumers looking for a change from the regular,” he says. Tuborg White is presently offered in Maharashtra and will quickly be launched in other states in the coming months.
Rahul Singh of The Beer Café says that the beer taste in India is related to our palate for cuisines. “In India, we don’t like anything bland. Everything has to be flavourful and that’s why brands customise to suit the Indian taste.” As for microbreweries, he says, they play protected by supplying what individuals like to drink. “They always have lager, strong beers and at times experiment with beers like mango beer,” he adds. As for The Beer Café, he says they are arranging to venture into tap area brewery quickly, exactly where they would brew in one place and sell in yet another.
White spirits
While browns might be a favourite, India is an emerging marketplace for white spirits as nicely. According to the 2021 ‘White Spirits Market Research Report: Information by Product Type (Rum, Vodka, Gin, Tequila, and Others), Distribution Channel (Food Retail, and Food Service), and Region—Global Forecast till 2027’ released by marketplace evaluation business Market Research Future, Asia Pacific is the third biggest customer of white spirits right after North America and Europe. Vodkas, gins, white rums and tequilas classify as white spirits.
William Grant & Sons’ Payal Nijhawan says that even though whisky is broadly consumed across the nation, gin has increasingly come to be a favourite in the urban regions more than the previous handful of years.
Moet Hennessy India’s brand ambassador Shehan Minocher agrees that we are now witnessing a renaissance of white spirits, namely, gin, vodka and agave-based spirits.
The flavour preferences of white spirits are transforming as well. Anand Virmani, CEO and distiller at Nao Spirits, says that the modern day Indian does not normally choose any robust spices or flavours in their drinks such as sandalwood, saffron, and so on. “Our Greater Than gin is crisp and Hapusa is bolder and earthy. Hence, they have become quite popular in the Indian market. Both Greater Than and Hapusa are our top two selling categories in the country. The freshness of fennel and ginger as main ingredients in Greater Than has captivated the Indian audience. For Hapusa, it is the unique and locally sourced botanicals like Himalayan Juniper and Gondhraj which gives it a bold flavour profile,” he says.
Moet Hennessy India’s Shehan Minocher says that even though Indian buyers choose spirits with a lighter body and floral, fruity qualities, spicier spirits, particularly juniper led gins, have also seen a substantial surge in recognition in current years. However, heavier bodied, oily spirits are however to see a spike in recognition in India—some of that getting attributed to the climate along with the need to opt for spirits that can simply be incorporated into cocktails, Minocher adds.
Ready-to-mix cocktails
The demand for at-home services throughout the pandemic has acted as an eye-opener for brands apprehensive to enter this segment previously. From Dalgona coffees to street foods like golgappas and samosas, every thing was made at home throughout the lockdowns. This was correct for cocktails as nicely, with what ever components have been offered at home as bars and restaurants remained shut. This proved to be a golden chance for brands to bring out cocktail mixes for buyers to prepare at home.
To make the whisky category more accessible and recruit new buyers, alco-beverage providers have been advertising whisky cocktail kits, even though the phenomena stay restricted to metros.
Moet Hennessy India launched a restricted-edition craft mixer in collaboration with Svami, a non-alcoholic beverage brand in September this year to be paired with Belvedere, Glenmorangie and Hennessy. While launching, Moet Hennessy India played on India’s favourite flavour throughout the pandemic—‘ginger’. “Indian consumers love adrak, so we expanded the spice element with cinnamon and black pepper as well—all very Indian flavours,” explains Sinha of Moet Hennessy India. “The ready-to-mix market is booming in the country now, especially in the metropolitan cities, and so are single malt cocktails,” she adds.
Another Indian cocktail kit brand Swizzle is presently manufacturing and promoting more than 20 varieties of cocktails and covering beer, bourbon, rum, tequila, vodka and whisky. Vrinda Singhal, founder and director of Swizzle, says that the kit incorporates Swizzle Mix, Fresh Garnish, Ice, Measurer and a Prep Card. “Add your preferred spirit (rum, vodka, whisky) and follow the prep card to enjoy delicious cocktails at home,” she says.
Along with cocktail mixes, non-alcoholic beverages as well have come to be the flavour of the post-pandemic world. Globally, the % alcohol drink space is dominated by .% beer and followed by % RTDs (Ready to Drink) wines and spirits. In India, the categories are starting to be accepted as nicely, says water sommelier and managing companion at Zero Percent India, Ganesh Iyer.
“Globally, no and low alcohol drinks are projected to increase 31% by 2024,” he says. Zero Percent India provides % options to spirits, beer and chardonnay. Iyer says that even though the % options are much better, most brands lace them with higher doses of sugar and synthetic additives which could be as damaging as liquor. Zero Percent comes with low sugar, low calories, all-natural, organic and vegan components as well.
He says it is crucial to recognize the distinction in between non-alcoholic beverages (which has some quantity of alcohol that is negligible) and alcohol-totally free beverages (which has definitely no alcohol whatsoever).
Local favourites
as considerably as the established liquor sector is flourishing in India, there’s yet another India that thrives on the neighborhood and low-priced countrymade liquor that compromises on high-quality but provides a fast higher. Hooch, moonshine, narangi or mahua come at really low rates but are unsafe—some of them can even be fatal.
Rohit Gautam, sommelier and former operatiemons head at Tonique, Asia’s largest wine and liquor boutique in Bengaluru, says that for liquor retailers like theirs, there’s an apprehension that the rates could possibly be as well higher and so the middle-class sections retain away and rather choose the neighborhood ones. However, that changed throughout the pandemic. “We saw the middle-income group come to Tonique without hesitation. The 45-50 years’ age group was the most common as they are more travelled and experienced,” he adds.
He adds that there’s a curiosity about neighborhood drinks and buyers are normally inquisitive about the availability of Goa’s feni, Tamil Nadu’s toddy or UP’s mahua. “However, they support the locals financially and are a big preference among the tourists,” he adds.
As the Indian liquor marketplace booms and flourishes globally with substantial contributions to the economy, it is also crucial to address the issues of the hooch mafia. Education, by far, remains the strongest tool.
TASTE OF THE Instances
With experimentations and acceptance of newer varieties and flavours, the taste profile of liquor has transformed in India. While the Indian genes have robust taste buds, not all flavours are preferred. Till about a decade ago, the sweet and fruity cocktails complete of sugar and artificial syrups could be identified in bars, but today, buyers are taking possibilities with their drinks and are getting more experimental in their flavour selections and drinks types, according to Moet Hennessy India’s brand ambassador Shehan Minocher. Youngsters choose the low sugar content and more refined flavours with a excellent presentation.
Anand Virmani, CEO and distiller at Nao Spirits, seconds Minocher on how fruity flavours are no longer the taste.
“What Indians generally prefer is a clean drink and not something that is too heavy or overtly spiced. The classic combination of gin and tonic was initially invented in India and has now been universally accepted. People prefer to keep it classic with this combination and experiment with the garnishing of cucumber, lime, orange, etc,” he adds.
With inputs from Rajesh Ravi in Kochi