New Delhi: Despite having set up shop only eight months ago, Uppal Brewers and Distillers plans on launching a premium product every six months—an unambiguous nod to the Indian market. A gift that keeps on giving.
The Indian consumer has evolved. They’re now tastemakers, connoisseurs in their own right. They love experimentation. And that’s where Madhvan, UBD’s second blended whisky, steps in. Madhvan, which was launched on 22 August at The Claridges in Delhi, foregrounds cultural pride. It’s not just the title, which blends madhu (honey) and van (jungle) together; it’s everything else. The leaping Bengal tiger motif, the tagline: ‘dahaad iraado ki’ (the roar of the unshakeable will).
It evokes an old-school masculinity, much like whisky itself. UBD knows its customer base.
“We’re living in a different India. But we were drinking brands that were conceived two decades ago,” co-founder Ankur Sachdeva told ThePrint at the launch. “It’s high time there’s a new brand for the new, confident India. Our premium brands all have Indian names.”
To the unacquainted, it may look like an avalanche of brands have hit the market –– all of which are capitalising on cultural pride. But apparently, this is only the tip of the iceberg. UBD is working tirelessly to expand its portfolio. Radico Khaitan, where Sachdeva was previously President, has seen huge success with Rathambhore, a blended whisky, and Jaisalmer, a premium gin.
According to Sachdeva, there’s plenty of room for everyone.
“I’m certain more players will come into the market. There aren’t enough right now,” he said.
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Made for India
Aura, the bar at The Claridges, its sleek banquettes filled with Madhvan drinkers, played host to a launch that represented yet another milestone in the alco-bev industry; a critical player in the India growth story.
But while the industry thrives on fads—Indian gin had its moment in the sun and now no drinker can escape the tyranny of tequila—there is something evergreen about blended whisky. India has always been a whisky-drinking nation. In the 1990s and the 2000s, citizens queued up at the duty-free, waiting to buy bottles of scotch. Then came the rise of the Indian single malt and the unabashed premiumisation of the space.
“In the late 90s, it was all about duty-free spirits. In the 2000s, we saw single malts. The harder to pronounce, the better. We went on to see people talking about world wines and the ‘ginnaissance,” said Sachdeva. “Fads are not forever. These things come and go.”
What he’s chosen to rely on is a statistic. India sells 400 million cases of alcohol each year, and IMFL (Indian made foreign liquor) now constitutes 65 per cent of the market, dwarfing country liquor.
It’s only natural that everyone wants a slice of the pie. Manish Uppal, MD of the Uppal Group, has been in real estate for the last 35 years. But now, he said, “I’ve diversified into a passion.”
There’s no better time to do so. According to Sachdeva, the current generation of Indians is no longer as enamoured by foreign brands. A product doesn’t need the validation of foreign awards and acceptance.
“We’re made in India,” he declared. “We’re proudly Indian, primarily for Indian consumers and catering to the Indian identity.”
(Edited by Ratan Priya)