BENGALURU (Reuters) – Indian liquor maker Radico Khaitan reported a 26% rise in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, driven by strong demand for its premium brands.
The Magic Moments vodka maker reported a consolidated net profit of 539.1 million rupees ($6.5 million) for the quarter ended March 31 up from 426.5 million rupees a year ago.
The popularity of premium liquor, particularly whiskey has been on the rise in India, mainly among the affluent urban population, analysts said. This has led to the expansion of whiskey distilleries and the availability of a wider variety of whiskey brands in the market.
Demand for flavoured alcoholic beverages, including vodka and rum, has also gained traction throughout the last financial year, analysts added.
Radico’s premium segment, which includes brands like Rampur Indian Whiskey and After Dark, reported a 14.2% increase in sales volume, anchoring a 16.1% rise in the segment’s revenue to 5.04 billion rupees.
Revenue from operations rose 15% to 38.95 billion rupees.
“We expect to continue to deliver a double-digit percentage growth in premium volume in FY2025,” the company said in its investor presentation.
“Prices of certain packaging materials have softened recently, we cautiously monitor the trends of grain, extra neutral alcohol and glass bottles where volatility persists,” Radico added.
The company’s expenses rose 15% to 38.20 billion rupees.
Kingfisher beer maker United Breweries posted a surge in quarterly profit on higher beer sales, whereas Smirnoff vodka maker United Spirits is yet to report results.
Shares of the company closed down 0.4% ahead of the results.
($1 = 83.5027 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Ashna Teresa Britto in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng)
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