The country recently surpassed France as the UK’s largest Scotch whisky market in terms of volume, with imports experiencing a remarkable 60% surge in 2022 compared to the previous year, as per data from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The data further reveals that India imported a staggering 219 million bottles of Scotch whisky last year, outpacing France’s 205 million.
Image-: The Indian Express
In an unexpected turn of events, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has ventured into the world of alcobev startups by investing in Cartel & Bros. This newly-founded company aims to introduce and sell a diverse range of liquor brands in India. The startup’s initial offering is the exquisite blended Scotch whisky brand, Glenwalk, which is being imported all the way from Scotland. The ambitious team behind Cartel & Bros, including Mokksh Sani from Living Liquidz, is planning to expand their portfolio to include vodka, tequila, and single malt in the near future.
Joining Sanjay Dutt and Mokksh Sani as investors are Manesh Sani, representing Living Liquidz, Jittin Merani from Drinq bar academy, and Rohan Nihalani, the driving force behind Morgan Beverages. To ensure the availability of their products, Cartel & Bros has secured a factory lease in Scotland. Their mission is to offer reasonably priced beverages that cater to a wider range of young consumers. Sani believes that this collaboration has the potential to provide accessible Scotch whisky options to consumers.
However, the alcobev industry poses its own set of challenges, with intricate regulations, varying state-level taxation, and price controls. Sani acknowledges the regulated nature of the market but remains optimistic, highlighting India’s youthful demographic, which is open to experimentation. He firmly believes in looking at the bigger picture and capitalizing on the growing willingness of Indian consumers to explore new and innovative alcoholic beverages.
Interestingly, this development coincides with India’s emergence as one of the fastest-growing alcohol markets globally. The country recently surpassed France as the UK’s largest Scotch whisky market in terms of volume, with imports experiencing a remarkable 60% surge in 2022 compared to the previous year, as per data from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The data further reveals that India imported a staggering 219 million bottles of Scotch whisky last year, outpacing France’s 205 million. This growth trend has been driven by a rising demand for premium whisky and an expanding consumer base eager to indulge in new experiences.
It is worth noting that the Maharashtra government made a significant move in November 2021 by halving the excise duty on imported Scotch whisky from 300%. Nevertheless, negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK, specifically regarding whisky imports and a few other categories, are still underway. Disagreements persist over the precise import duty percentage. Established whisky companies such as United Spirits, Allied Blenders and Distillers, Pernod Ricard, Radico Khaitan, and Jagatjit Industries have been key players in the industry thus far.
The trend of Bollywood actors investing in startups has gained momentum in recent years, with various consumer-oriented sectors, including packaged foods, cosmetics, lifestyle, apparel, and ed-tech, serving as popular choices. Sanjay Dutt himself made a foray into the business world earlier this year by investing in the sneakers marketplace DawnTown. Other prominent actors, such as Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhat, and Ranveer Singh, have also diversified their portfolios by investing in ventures like plant-based meat startup Blue Tribe Foods, millet-based snack brand Slurrp Farm, personal styling platform StyleCracker, and biomaterials startup Phool, respectively.
