Indian Single Malts That Took Centre Stage in 2022

The year started with Indri and ends with GianChand, the latest entrant into the buzzing Indian single malt scene both from reputed malt spirit suppliers

- MURALI MENON

The fact that Indians consume enormous quantities of whisky is well-known. We also drink a lot of scotch. India is scotch whisky’s eighth largest export market by value and second largest by volume. The Scots want us to drink even more of the good stuff, which is why the UK has been pushing for sharp tariff cuts on scotch whisky in the protracted negotiations over the India-UK free trade deal. But the Indian consumer is not just drinking scotch or Indian whisky made with molasses. They are increasingly taking to Indian single malt. Both the big boys Amrut Distilleries, which put Indian single malt on the global map in 2010 and Paul John now sell more whiskies in the domestic market than elsewhere. According to the Times of India, local brands now account for one-third of the Indian single malt market in terms of sales, a 15% jump from over five years ago. The TOI report also notes that the Indian single malt segment, which constituted about 2.1 lakh cases in FY22, has been growing at a rate of 18 percent annually, as opposed to imported whiskies that registered a 13 percent growth in the same period.

The success of Amrut and Paul John have inspired several Indian liquor companies such as Radico Khaitan Rampur Whisky) and Peak Spirits Kamet) to take a shot at this booming, lucrative market. Last month, Jagatjit Industries, makers of Aristocrat whisky, announced plans to launch an Indian single malt by the end of this year.

The two most recent entrants into the segment have been Devans Modern Breweries and Piccadilly Distilleries. Both Devans and Piccadilly are reputed suppliers of malt spirits; the latter, in fact, is India’s largest independent malt manufacturer and seller.