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00:00 India loves whisky. It's the nation's favourite alcohol. And now that passion may be about
00:07 to shake up liquor brands. Because India is fast going from whisky consumer to producer.
00:14 Amrit Distilleries is one local firm with big plans. According to the company, it's
00:19 nearly trebled its production capacity and is still struggling to meet demand. Managing
00:25 Director Rakshit Jagdale says the whole sector is booming.
00:28 Frankly, whether it's Amruth, whether it's Rampur or Paul John or Indri or name it, we
00:35 don't have enough quantity today of matured malt whisky to be sold as single malt whisky.
00:41 So it's a nice problem to have.
00:43 The boom comes as Indian brands gain recognition. This year one was named Best in Show at a
00:49 World Whisky Awards. Also helping are increasingly affluent Indian consumers, many of whom were
00:55 prompted to try new drinks while cooped up during lockdowns. It's all a shock to big
01:01 names like Pernod Ricard and Diageo, which have long dominated the whisky trade. They're
01:06 responding with Indian-made liquor of their own. Last week Pernod Ricard debuted its Longitude
01:13 77 whisky. Kartik Mohindra is the company's chief marketing officer there.
01:18 We hope, not only us but also some of the other players in the Indian single malt business,
01:25 to put India on the global map when it comes to provenance-led whisky making.
01:32 The Indian newcomers are competing on quality, not price. They sell for amounts comparable
01:37 to global brands like Glenlivet. And the strategy seems to be working. Data from drinks market
01:44 analysts show sales of Indian single malts soared 144% over 2021-22. The country's $33
01:52 billion spirits market suddenly has a very local flavour.
01:57 (soft music)