The world’s 10 largest Indian whisky brands

It’s all change this year at the top, as a new brand takes over the leading position in our list of the world’s largest Indian whisky brands.

The Worlds largest Indian whisky brands have a new leader at the top spot

Some accuse it of not being whisky at all, with much produced from molasses rather than grain or malted barley, but despite the technicality it is one of the largest spirit categories in the world, with the number one brand in our top 10 increasing its sales in 2012 by over 3m cases.

Regardless of how they are made, Indian whiskies are booming, with only two of our top 10 reporting negative growth from in 2012.

We bring you the list of the world’s 10 largest Indian whiskies in anticipation of the online publication of our Brand Champions 2013, which will be announced on 8 July. Our selections will highlight the brands that have achieved the most in 2012, whether in terms of outperforming their competitors, or in reaching a particular milestone.

Click through the following pages to discover which are the world’s largest Indian whisky brands.

10. Director’s Special

2012 case sales: 4.3m
2011 case sales: 4.5m
Growth in 2012: -4%

Referred to by devotees as ‘DSP’, sales of Director’s Special steadily increased from 3.8m in 2006 to 4.5m in 2010, but had plateaued a year later, remaining at 4.5m. The latest figures reveal that the brand experienced a dip in sales from 2011 to 2012, registering negative growth of -4%. Director’s Special, owned by United Spirits Ltd, is the flagship product under the Shaw Wallace marquee, and is reported to be especially popular among whiskey drinkers in the UAE.

9. 8PM

2012 case sales: 4.9m
2011 case sales: 4.3m
Growth in 2012: 14%

Launched in 1999, 8PM posted a record for any foreign or domestic brand in India by selling one million cases in its first year, according to its owners.  Sales have increased every year since 2008, and saw brand owner Radico Khaitan register impressive growth figures of 14% in 2012. 8PM followed Bagpiper and McDowell’s No.1 Reserve in breaking the mould for Indian whiskies by selling a product made using grain rather than molasses.

8. Hayward’s Fine

2012 case sales: 7.1m
2011 case sales: 6.2m
Growth in 2012: 15%

Owner United Spirits describe it as one of the fastest growing products in its economy whisky range, and the most recent sales figures of Haywards Fine would support their claims, registering 15% sales growth in 2012. The brand, which has seen its sales grow year-on- year from 2.3m in 2007 to 7.1m in 2012, has a particularly high profile in the Middle East and in some African markets.

7. Imperial Blue

2012 case sales: 8.8m
2011 case sales: 7.2m
Growth in 2012: 22%

Known for its advertising tagline ‘Men will be men’, Imperial Blue was launched in 1997 as a premium grain whisky brand. Owned by French giants Pernod Ricard, Imperial Blue has posted sales figures that have improved year-on-year since the 2.5m bottles sold in 2006. Volume sales figures of 7.2m in 2011 rose to 8.8m in 2012, showing a healthy growth of 22%.

6. Original Choice

2012 case sales: 10.9m
2011 case sales: 10.7m
Growth in 2012: 2%

Original Choice is the flagship blended whisky brand from Goa-based John Distilleries. After years of challenges from Allied Blenders Distillers over the similarities between the Original Choice brand and its own Officer’s Choice brand, John Distilleries was given permission earlier this year by India’s Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) to continue trading using its name. After increasing year on year from 4.1m 2006 to 10.9m in 2010, sales dropped off slightly to 10.7m in 2011. However, recent figures suggest a recovery, with 10.9m bottles sold in 2012, a growth of 2% from 2011 to 2012.

5. Old Tavern

2012 case sales: 11.6m
2011 case sales: 11.1m
Growth in 2012: 5%

Like Hayward’s Fine, its sister brand at United Spirits, Old Tavern is notably strong in some African markets. Domestically, the brand is a dominant force in the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar regions of India. After a considerable leap in sales from 9.1m in 2010 to 11.1m in 2011, the increase from 2011 to 2012 was more modest, with 11.6m bottles sold, meaning a growth of 5%.

4. Bagpiper

2012 case sales: 14m
2011 case sales: 16m
Growth in 2012: -13%

Bagpiper whisky has used Bollywood megastars like Ashok Kumar, Sunny Deol and Shahrukh Khan in its vibrant advertising campaigns to date, although the celebrity names have done little to prevent a slump in sales for Bagpiper, with a negative growth of -13% in 2012. This may not come as a shock following a stagnation in sales that saw figures hover around the 16m sales mark from 2009 to 2011 (16.3m in 2009; 16.4m in 2010).

3. Royal Stag

2012 case sales: 14m
2011 case sales: 12.5m
Growth in 2012: 12%

Royal Stag is now India’s third most popular whisky, following increases in sales every year since 2006, and a growth of 12% from 14m case sales in 2011 to 12.5m in 2012. Pernod Ricard’s leading brand in India, the product is a blend of Indian grain spirits and Scotch malts. Instead of striking a potentially costly deal with the national side, Royal Stag became the New Zealand cricket team’s shirt sponsor for a two-Test and two Twenty20 series against India in 2012, and has frequently used cricket stars such as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting in its advertising.

2. Officer’s Choice

2012 case sales: 18.1m
2011 case sales: 16.5m
Growth in 2012: 10%

Dubbed ‘OC’ by afficionados, Officer’s Choice, owned by Allied Blenders and Distillers, is exported to 18 countries around the world. The brand saw a substantial increase in sales from 11.6m in 2010 to 16.5m in 2011, and continued to build on that success with sales of 18.1m last year. This represented a 10% growth from 2011 for the brand. Recognisable for the officer’s epaulette design on the bottle’s label, a further recent addition to the line came in the form of Officer’s Choice Blue, a premium version of the original, which posted sales of over one million cases in its first year.

1. McDowell’s No. 1 Reserve

2012 case sales: 19.5m
2011 case sales: 16.1m
Growth in 2012: 21%

Knocking 2011’s market leaders Officer’s Choice off the top spot this year, the aptly named McDowell’s No.1 Reserve is the world’s largest Indian whisky brand for 2012. The United Spirits-owned brand registered a massive 21% growth from 2011 to 2012, selling over 3m more units in 2012 than it did in the previous year. McDowell’s has broken new ground by producing DietMate, which it claims is the world’s first ever diet whisky. Another product relatively new to the stable, McDowell’s No.1 Platinum, which was launched in March 2010, further boosted the brand’s recent successes by selling over 30 million bottles in its first year. United Spirits reported sales of nearly 500 million 750ml bottles of spirits from the McDowell’s portfolio in 2012-13, recording sales worth US$3.8 billion. According to the company, these figures made McDowell’s the largest alcoholic beverage franchise in India, based on value and volume sold.