Top 10 biggest-selling Indian whisky Brand Champions
Indian whiskies continued to top the charts last year, with the market expanding by five million cases, and one brand reporting three-digit growth.
India is undoubtedly the promised land for whiskies, not only for imported whiskies but, more importantly, for domestic brands either distilled or blended in India specifically for the market. Indian whiskies continue to dominate the global whisky market by leaps and bounds, with the three top Indian whiskies comfortably outselling the best-selling Scotch whisky and American whiskey brands.
The Indian whisky category remains one of several sectors that grew last year, according to IWSR’s preliminary data.
In 2025, the segment expanded by five million cases and added nearly US$500 million in value. Its growth is mirrored among many of the category’s largest-selling brands, owned by the likes of Diageo’s United Spirits arm, Pernod Ricard, and Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD).
However, last year the top 10 underwent a reshuffle, with only one brand holding on to its previous spot on the list. For some, this was good news; for others, it meant being knocked down placements or even off the list.
In addition to United Spirits’ Signature returning to the top 10, the leaderboard was topped by a new bestseller for the first time in more than five years, earning it the title of Indian Whisky Brand Champion 2026.
Already buzzing from excitement to find out which brand took the top spot? Scroll along to join us as we count down last year’s biggest-selling Indian whiskies.
The full Brand Champions 2026 report is free to read online.
The data is listed to one decimal place for ease of reading, but the percentage changes were calculated on the full data supplied. All data is recorded in millions of nine-litre cases.
10. Director’s Special Black
Owner: United Spirits
2021 2.9m | 2022 3.0m | 2023 3.3m | 2024 3.6m | 2025 3.7m
Growth: 1.1%
Place last year: 10
Returning for its second consecutive year at 10th place, Director’s Special Black is the first of four brands from Diageo’s United Spirits to make the cut.
The brand boasted a 1.1% increase in sales, continuing its steady growth in the market from 3.6 million cases in 2024 to 3.7m in 2025.
9. Signature
Owner: United Spirits
2021 2.0m | 2022 2.5m | 2023 2.9m | 2024 3.3m | 2025 3.9m
Growth: 17.6%
Place last year: 11
With a 17.6% improvement over last year’s numbers, Signature jumped over its fellow United Spirits stablemate from 11th place to ninth spot, exchanging places with Sterling Reserve, and marking its return to the top 10 after a one-year absence. In 2025, the whisky brand saw sales increase by 600,000 cases to 3.9m, creeping ever closer to the four million milestone.
The brand was launched in 1994 and is overseen by master blender Louise Martin, blending 10 imported Scotch whiskies with aged Indian malts and fine grain spirits. Signature has seen a steady increase in sales since launching its new packaging in 2021.
8. 8PM
Owner: Radico Khaitan
2021 11.4m | 2022 11.9m | 2023 12.2m | 2024 9.6m | 2025 9.2m
Growth: -4.8%
Place last year: 6
The first on the list to report a decline in sales, Radico Khaitan’s 8PM is, unfortunately, moving further from its 2017 and 2023 heydays, dropping two spots from last year.
Despite launching a new packaging for its 8PM Premium Black Whisky last June, the brand’s sales dropped 4.8% from 9.6m cases to 9.2m in 2025.
But all is not gloomy for the company, as Radico Khaitan has reportedly hit multiple milestones in the past year, including ‘record’ sales in its first and third quarter.
7. Iconiq White Whisky
Owner: Allied Blenders & Distillers
2021 N/A | 2022 N/A | 2023 1.6m | 2024 4.5m | 2025 9.5m
Growth: 111.1%
Place last year: 8
It’s been a very exciting few years for ABD’s Iconiq White Whisky since its launch in 2022. As one of the rising stars in the Indian whisky market, the brand not only joined the million-case ranks in 2023, but it was also last year’s Indian Whisky Brand Champion, posting 181.3% growth in 2024.
In 2025, the brand continued its growth spurt, soaring by 111.1% to 9.5m cases sold – earning it the seventh spot on the list and making it the sixth fastest-growing spirits brand of 2025. Part of Iconiq’s expanded reach across the country has been a listing with India’s Canteen Stores Department (CSD).
Where will we see Iconiq in the next year’s list? We wouldn’t want to speculate, but it is already known that the brand hit its 10m-case milestone in March 2026.
6. Blenders Pride
Owner: Pernod Ricard
2021 8.0m | 2022 9.5m | 2023 9.6m | 2024 10.1m | 2025 10.1m
Growth: 0.4%
Place last year: 5
Pernod Ricard’s Blenders Pride saw a 0.4% increase from last year, but apparently it wasn’t enough, as it slid down from fifth place to sixth as Royal Challenge paced ahead.
The brand has enjoyed a spot in the top 10 of the best-selling Indian whisky list for at least a decade, steadily hovering between fifth and eighth place, without challenging the biggest names on the list.
The whisky was launched in 1995 and has been part of Pernod Ricard’s portfolio since 2001. Blenders Pride is a blend of Indian grain spirit and imported Scotch malts from Chivas Brothers.
5. Royal Challenge
Owner: United Spirits
2021 4.7m | 2022 7.2m | 2023 8.6m | 2024 9.1m | 2025 10.6m
Growth: 16.4%
Place last year: 7
Another two-space hopper, United Spirits’ Royal Challenge, hopped its way to the fifth spot in 2025, overtaking Blenders Pride by 500,000 cases. With 10.6m cases sold last year, the brand has steadily climbed from 10th place to the middle of the pack over the last five years.
As one of only two Indian whisky brands in the top 10 to boast double-digit growth in 2025, Blenders Pride bolstered its presence in the market with a 16.4% increase in sales. But with more than 10m cases behind the top four sellers, it doesn’t seem the Royal Challenge will be a threat anytime soon.
4. Imperial Blue
Owner: Tilaknagar Industries
2021 24.1m | 2022 24.0m | 2023 22.8m | 2024 22.9m | 2025 20.3m
Growth: -11.4%
Place last year: 3
The first brand on the list with more than 20m cases sold is also one of the most talked-about Indian whisky brands in 2025. Imperial Blue rose to the headlines last year when Pernod Ricard sold it to Tilaknagar Industries.
As seen over the last five years, the brand’s sales have dipped from its 2021 high by almost four million cases, ending at 20.3m cases sold in 2025. Although Imperial Blue was the only top 10 contender to report a double-digit decline, sliding one place, it still remains within the coveted top four – as it has consistently for at least a decade.
Does Tilaknagar have a strategy up its sleeve to revive Imperial Blue’s glory? Guess we have to wait and see.
3. Officer’s Choice
Owner: Allied Blenders & Distillers
2021 23.2m | 2022 24.9m | 2023 23.4m | 2024 21.3m | 2025 20.7m
Growth: -2.8%
Place last year: 4
While ABD’s Officer’s Choice posted its third consecutive year of decline in 2025, it managed to crawl past Imperial Blue to regain its top-three rank from 2021 to 2023, selling 400,000 more cases than the competitor. The brand finished the year at 2.8% under water, with 20.7m cases sold.
2. McDowell’s Whisky
Owner: United Spirits
2021 30.1m | 2022 30.8m | 2023 31.4m | 2024 32.2m| 2025 31.9m
Growth: -0.9%
Place last year: 1
Oh, McDowell’s No.1: the long-time champion has been knocked off its high horse after six years on top. While United Spirits’ superstar blend saw only a 0.9% decrease in sales in 2025, landing at 31.9m cases, it wasn’t enough to sustain the brand’s success as not only India’s biggest whisky seller but also the world’s best-selling whisky brand.
There’s always next year, McDowell’s.
1. Royal Stag
Owner: Pernod Ricard
2021 22.4m | 2022 27.1m | 2023 27.9m | 2024 31.0m | 2025 32.6m
Growth: 5%
Place last year: 2
World and Indian whisky have a new champion.
Storming to pole position was Pernod Ricard’s Royal Stag, which overtook a long-time bestseller, United Spirits-owned McDowell’s, after hitting 32.6m nine-litre cases last year, beating the latter’s 31.9m cases. As this year’s Indian Whisky Brand Champion, Royal Stag increased its volumes by 5% last year, marking its fifth year of growth in a row.
The brand experienced a “strong performance in category-salient markets”, such as Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, and Assam, says Debasree Dasgupta, chief marketing officer of Pernod Ricard India. “This was made possible by a targeted micro-marketing approach focused on driving brand consideration,” she says.
Famous figures have supported the brand’s growth. In September 2025, Royal Stag joined forces with four new ‘influential voices’: Sidharth Malhotra, Badshah, Naga Chaitanya and Payal Dhare. They join Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suryakumar Yadav as brand ambassadors. Well known in India, they embody the country’s “most celebrated passions of cricket, cinema, music and gaming”, the brand said in a press release.
Furthermore, the brand refreshed its marketing for its Royal Stag Barrel Select whisky, including new packaging and a new blend called Royal Stag Double Dark. Dasgupta describes it as a “unique peaty blend, the first in the category”, which was targeted towards experimental drinkers.
Next year, we will find out whether Royal Stag continues its winning streak through marketing and innovation to maintain its top position in the category.
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