Latest news with #RoyalStag
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Bootleg liquor unit busted in Suryapet
Two individuals were arrested and a large-scale spurious liquor unit in Ramapuram village housed in a rice mill in Suryapet district was uncovered following a raid by the State Task Force (STF) of the Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department. Officials seized massive quantities of materials used in the production of adulterated liquor, including 38 Mc Dowell's whiskey quarter bottles, 38 cartons, 42.8 kilogram of whiskey bottle caps, 56.3 kg of generic caps, over 7,800 labels, six 200-litre steel jugs among others. The estimated value of the seized items is approximately ₹20 lakh. The accused were identified as S. Mahesh Kumar from Durgi in Palnadu district, and Prakash, the owner of the rice mill in Ramapuram. Other suspects - Siva Shankar, Mallikarjun Rao, Sharanjit Singh, and R., are currently lodged in a jail in Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to trace Srinivas, alias Abdul Kalam, identified as a key figure in the racket. According to Excise Enforcement Director Shahnawaz Qasim, the unit was using adulterated rice as part of the production process and was replicating branded products with counterfeit labels and packaging. He noted that similar operations had previously been exposed in Andhra Pradesh, where several individuals involved in fake liquor networks were arrested. The department's vigilance stems from past incidents, including the 2022 episode in which residents in areas under Ibrahimpatnam, Bhongir, Ramannapet and Nampally excise stations reported stomach ailments after consuming suspected Royal Stag whisky. Investigations then revealed counterfeit liquor in circulation.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Royal Stag BoomBox returns with powerful fusion track ‘SIGH'
Royal Stag BoomBox, the flagship music IP from Seagram's Royal Stag in collaboration with Universal Music Group (UMG), has returned with an exciting new edition of Royal Stag BoomBox Originals. Known for fusing the richness of melody with the dynamic energy of hip-hop, the platform has now launched its latest original track, SIGH, featuring the powerful duo of Nikhita Gandhi and Dino James. Following the success of tracks like Pehle Jaisi Baat Nahi, Hoodie, Mohabbat, and Imtihaan, the new season brings with it a bold sonic direction. SIGH delivers a vibrant mix of smooth vocals and sharp rap verses, capturing a mood of self-assurance and defiance. It celebrates the moment one stops explaining themselves and begins embracing who they truly are—with confidence and style. Sharing her excitement, singer Nikhita Gandhi said, 'Working on SIGH with Dino was truly thrilling. Royal Stag BoomBox lets artists break free and express themselves without boundaries. This track is bold, honest, and very close to my heart.' Rapper Dino James added, 'SIGH is a reflection of raw truth and creative freedom. Collaborating with Nikhita brought an emotional depth to the song. Platforms like BoomBox challenge us to expand our artistic horizons.' Kartik Mohindra, CMO of Pernod Ricard India, emphasized music's role in the brand's youth engagement strategy. 'Royal Stag BoomBox is a celebration of bold creativity. This season, we're blending Bollywood's melodies with hip-hop beats, redefining the soundscape for a new generation.' Preeti Nayyar, SVP at UMG for Brands, said, 'BoomBox stands for bold expression and genre-crossing creativity. It's a space where artists collaborate, experiment, and connect with youth culture.' Music remains a cornerstone of Royal Stag's identity, and with India's youth increasingly gravitating toward hybrid musical experiences, BoomBox continues to bridge tradition and trend. With SIGH now streaming across YouTube, social media, and major audio platforms, fans can expect more genre-defying tracks this season, including Sajna by Neeti Mohan, Panther & Ravator, and Maybe by Armaan Malik and Ikka. The sound of Generation Large is only just getting started.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why selling Imperial Blue makes sense for Pernod Ricard
Almost a quarter of a century ago, when Diageo and Pernod Ricard divvied up the Seagram drinks empire, most of the attention was focused on the destinies of the marquee brands: Captain Morgan and Crown Royal going to Diageo; Martell, Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet snaffled by Pernod. Few commentators gave much thought to a rather less high-profile part of the Seagram business: its operations in India. Seagram's sizeable investments in the sub-continent laid the foundations for Pernod Ricard to establish an enviable position in the market: more than 20 production units scattered across the country; a portfolio of high-volume IMFL or 'admix' whisky brands including Imperial Blue, Royal Stag and Blenders Pride, plus BII (bottled in India) Scotch in 100 Pipers – and, of course, BIO (bottled in origin) imports. But now, we hear via unconfirmed but detailed reports, Pernod Ricard is looking to offload Imperial Blue, which sits in what it terms the 'value' segment of the whisky market, with an equivalent price of about €7 ($8.27) a bottle. This is a brand that, according to reports, sold nearly 23m nine-litre cases in 2023 – admittedly down on its 2019 peak of over 26m cases, but still a pretty handy number. Neither Pernod Ricard nor the reported bidders for Imperial Blue – including Suntory, Tilaknagar Industries and Inbrew Beverages – will comment on the reports, but a conversation I had this week with Simon de Beauregard, chief transformation officer at Pernod Ricard India, sets the rumoured deal in the broader context of the market. For a start, there's de Beauregard's job title. I don't generally have much truck with 'blue sky thinking' monikers like chief transformation officer but in this case the choice of words is instructive. The high-potential Indian market – placed in sharp relief as growth becomes so elusive elsewhere – is transforming, and on multiple fronts. This is still a high-volume market – it's Pernod Ricard's biggest in those terms – but it has also become, over the past couple of fiscals, the company's second-largest in terms of net sales. That's reflected in the fact that, as you ascend the pricing ladder for whisky from Imperial Blue (value) through Royal Stag (deluxe) to Blenders Pride (premium), you can add two percentage points of extra growth for each step. In this context, it's no surprise that Pernod Ricard has moved to innovate with a number of higher-priced expressions in India, from Royal Stag Double Dark to Blenders Pride Four Elements – and, most interestingly of all, Longitude 77. Whereas the first two are essentially higher-priced spin-offs of what we might term 'legacy' brands, Longitude 77 is an Indian single malt, wearing its provenance on its sleeve, both in terms of the name – the line that runs through the heart of the nation – and its label, featuring the country's familiar outline. It's a product that – literally – puts Indian whisky on the map. This reflects a consumer shift that we've discussed previously: first of all, Indians may well – and do – aspire to buy and drink Western brands. After all, the market is already the second-largest destination for Jameson and The Glenlivet, even before the latter is boosted by the impact of the recently announced free trade agreement between India and the UK. But people are also increasingly demanding homegrown products that can match imports in terms of quality, packaging, branding – and price. Longitude 77 – a no-age statement whisky – is priced close to The Glenlivet 12 Year Old in India. A decade ago, the mere idea of that pricing strategy would have been laughable but no longer. As de Beauregard says: 'I think we went from 'imported is cool' to 'local can be very cool as well'.' Nor is this merely a whisky story. Indian consumers – especially the urban, middle-class, young-LDA adults that Western brands are so keen to court – are becoming much more exploratory and experimental. De Beauregard believes this has its roots in what he calls 'qualitative changes in the perception of alcohol'. What does this mean? A product that was somehow still 'taboo' to many – largely consumed out of the home and by men – has become more permissible, breaking through barriers of age and gender, boosted further by an increasingly sophisticated on-trade and retail sector. De Beauregard sees this in Pernod Ricard's own consumer research. Where most people would previously have participated in maybe one-and-a-half categories – mainly whisky, but occasionally brandy, beer or rum – now they might be trying gin, single malt or agave spirits. And all of these – including agave – now have their domestic equivalents. The transformation of India is also reflected in Pernod Ricard's recent investments in the market – most notably, the construction of what is billed as Asia's largest malt distillery and maturation facility in Nagpur – a plant that, when complete, will have a production capacity of 13m litres of pure alcohol a year, and which is part of a ten-year investment programme in Maharashtra worth a total of Rs17.85bn ($208.7m). Pernod Ricard isn't alone in both ramping up and diversifying its investments in India and fine-tuning its strategy there. Hence Diageo's move to wholly acquire Goa-based distiller Näo Spirits in June and hence the same company's decision in 2022 to sell off a slew of low-margin local brands to Inbrew, including White Mischief, Old Tavern and Romanov. For all its opportunities and potential – and again we've said this before – India remains a complicated and at times frustrating country in which to do business. Pernod Ricard's own, ongoing difficulties with the authorities in Delhi are testament to that. Commenting more generally on trading conditions in the country, de Beauregard says: 'I was in the US before – but I think India is more complex than the US.' India is also moving fast, so much so that – assuming that the reports are accurate and the deal goes ahead – Pernod Ricard's sale of Imperial Blue, which would have been unthinkable only a few years back, begins to look eminently justifiable, bearing in mind current and likely future market conditions. Yes, well over 20m cases is a lot of volume to lose but Imperial Blue – in its positioning, its price and even its name, with those echoes of empire – could soon be seen as something of a relic of India's past, rather than a harbinger of this fascinating market's increasingly diverse and exciting future. "Why selling Imperial Blue makes sense for Pernod Ricard" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
24-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
These Are The 25 Bestselling Whisky Brands In The World
It might have a Scottish-sounding name, but Indian brand McDowell's is the bestselling whisky in the ... More world, if you're flexible on your definition of 'whisky'. In 2018, I was trying to find a list of the bestselling whiskies in the world by volume and was struggling. While that information was easy to find for separate categories, such as Scotch or Bourbon, I quickly wrote up what (I think) was one of the first lists that actually collated the bestselling global brands. It's been a while since I wrote the last one though, so I thought it's high time to update the list given that The Spirits Business recently released its 2025 Brand Champions report covering sales of all kinds of drinks from around the world. I've simply pulled the figures from the report covering whisky and collated it here into an easy-reading list. Some notes. The figures below incorporate sales from 2024, covering millions of 9-liter cases sold. So for example, 1 million cases sold means a total of 9 million liters. If you don't follow whisky and drinks trends, you'll be surprised to see just how much Indian whisky is sold (almost all of it consumed domestically). For those who do follow these kinds of figures, you'll be surprised to see that Johnnie Walker has finally managed to break into the top 4 which for the last few years was dominated by Indian brands McDowell's, Royal Stag, Imperial Blue, and Officer's Choice. As you'll see from the figures below, the latter has taken a hit in sales compared to Johnnie Walker's smaller dip. At the bottom of the article is a quick little graph I drafted up with the figures in case it's useful. And finally, I'm not picky at all about what gets counted as 'whisky' here. If it's labelled as 'whisky' in the report, then it makes this list. This is an important distinction especially when it comes to many Indian whisky brands, which often incorporate molasses in their production (these are classified within the country as 'Indian-made foreign liquor, or IMFL). With that, the world's bestselling whiskies are: 1. McDowell's Whisky Owner: United SpiritsCountry: IndiaSales: 2020: 25.7m | 2021: 30.1m | 2022: 30.8m | 2023: 31.4m | 2024: 32.2mGrowth: +2.6% 2. Royal Stag Owner: Pernod RicardCountry: IndiaSales: 2020: 18.5m | 2021: 22.4m | 2022: 27.1m | 2023: 27.9m | 2024: 31.0mGrowth: +11.1% 3. Imperial Blue Owner: Pernod RicardCountry: IndiaSales: 2020: 21.3m | 2021: 24.1m | 2022: 24.0m | 2023: 22.8m | 2024: 22.9mGrowth: +0.5% 4. Johnnie Walker Owner: DiageoCountry: ScotlandSales: 2020: 14.1m | 2021: 19.1m | 2022: 22.7m | 2023: 22.1m | 2024: 21.6mGrowth: –2.0% 5. Officer's Choice Owner: Allied Blenders & DistillersCountry: IndiaSales: 2020: 20.8m | 2021: 23.2m | 2022: 24.9m | 2023: 23.4m | 2024: 21.3mGrowth: –9.0% 6. Jim Beam Owner: Suntory Global SpiritsCountry: USASales: 2020: 16.4m | 2021: 17.0m | 2022: 16.6m | 2023: 17.0m | 2024: 17.5mGrowth: +2.9% 7. Jack Daniel's Owner: Brown-FormanCountry: USASales: 2020: 12.3m | 2021: 13.5m | 2022: 14.6m | 2023: 14.3m | 2024: 14.1mGrowth: –1.5% 8. Jameson Owner: Pernod RicardCountry: IrelandSales: 2020: 7.7m | 2021: 9.6m | 2022: 11.1m | 2023: 10.2m | 2024: 10.8mGrowth: +6.3% 9. Blenders Pride Owner: Pernod RicardCountry: Whisky – IndianSales: 2020: 6.6m | 2021: 8.0m | 2022: 9.5m | 2023: 9.6m | 2024: 10.1mGrowth: +5.0% 10. 8PM Owner: Radico KhaitanCountry: Whisky – IndianSales: 2020: 9.4m | 2021: 11.4m | 2022: 11.9m | 2023: 12.2m | 2024: 9.6mGrowth: –20.8% 11. Ballantine's Owner: Pernod RicardCountry: Whisky – ScotchSales: 2020: 7.0m | 2021: 8.7m | 2022: 9.2m | 2023: 8.2m | 2024: 9.3mGrowth: +13.9% 12. Royal Challenge Owner: United SpiritsCountry: Whisky – IndianSales: 2020: 4.3m | 2021: 4.7m | 2022: 7.2m | 2023: 8.6m | 2024: 9.1mGrowth: +6.7% 13. Crown Royal Owner: DiageoCountry: Whisky – CanadianSales: 2020: 8.1m | 2021: 9.0m | 2022: 8.4m | 2023: 7.7m | 2024: 8.0mGrowth: +4.0% 14. Iconiq White Whisky Owner: Allied Blenders & DistillersCountry: Whisky – IndianSales: 2020: N/A | 2021: N/A | 2022: N/A | 2023: 1.6m | 2024: 4.5mGrowth: +181.3% 15. Chivas Regal Owner: Pernod RicardCountry: Whisky – ScotchSales: 2020: 3.2m | 2021: 4.1m | 2022: 5.2m | 2023: 4.6m | 2024: 4.8mGrowth: +4.8% 16. Kakubin Owner: Suntory Global SpiritsCountry: Whisky – JapaneseSales: 2020: 3.7m | 2021: 3.6m | 2022: 4.3m | 2023: 4.2m | 2024: 4.0mGrowth: –4.5% 17. Black Nikka Owner: Asahi BreweriesCountry: Whisky – JapaneseSales: 2020: 3.3m | 2021: 3.3m | 2022: 3.5m | 2023: 4.0m | 2024: 4.0mGrowth: 0.0% 18. Sterling Reserve Owner: Allied Blenders & DistillersCountry: Whisky – IndianSales: 2020: 2.8m | 2021: 3.6m | 2022: 5.0m | 2023: 5.1m | 2024: 3.9mGrowth: –23.5% 19. Director's Special Owner: United SpiritsCountry: Whisky – IndianSales: 2020: 3.1m | 2021: 2.9m | 2022: 3.0m | 2023: 3.3m | 2024: 3.6mGrowth: +9.4% 20. Canadian Club Owner: Suntory Global SpiritsCountry: Whisky – CanadianSales: 2020: 5.9m | 2021: 6.2m | 2022: 6.5m | 2023: 6.2m | 2024: 5.3mGrowth: –15.2% 21. Signature Owner: United SpiritsCountry: Whisky – IndianSales: 2020: 1.9m | 2021: 2.0m | 2022: 2.5m | 2023: 2.9m | 2024: 3.3mGrowth: +13.4% 22. Dewar's Owner: BacardiCountry: Whisky – ScotchSales: 2020: 2.5m | 2021: 2.8m | 2022: 3.5m | 2023: 3.3m | 2024: 3.3mGrowth: +1.8% 23. Evan Williams Owner: Heaven Hill BrandsCountry: Whiskey – AmericanSales: 2020: 3.0m | 2021: 3.1m | 2022: 3.1m | 2023: 3.1m | 2024: 3.1mGrowth: –1.3% 24. William Lawson's Owner: BacardiCountry: Whisky – ScotchSales: 2020: 3.3m | 2021: 3.4m | 2022: 3.5m | 2023: 3.4m | 2024: 3.2mGrowth: –4.4% 25. Black & White Owner: DiageoCountry: Whisky – ScotchSales: 2020: 2.9m | 2021: 3.1m | 2022: 3.6m | 2023: 3.2m | 2024: 3.0mGrowth: –5.4% And here is the data in chart form below: The world's bestselling whiskies, as reported by the Spirits Business 2025 Brand Champions report.
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
44 boxes of IMFL seized in Zirakpur, 3 held
The excise department, with the help of the police, arrested three liquor smugglers and seized 44 boxes of IMFL. A case was registered against them under sections 61/1/14 and 78(2) of the Excise Act, officials said. The arrested individuals were identified as Veeru Singh from Mundia Kala, Ludhiana; Karan from Lachhman Nagar, Ludhiana; and Akshay Kumar from Khajri Chowk village, Gatho police station, Samastipur district, currently residing in Ludhiana. The police presented the three accused in court on Tuesday and obtained a two-day police remand to trace the supply chain. Providing details about the case, excise inspector Gurpreet Singh Dhaliwal stated that they received information that the three were transporting a vehicle loaded with liquor from Chandigarh to Jalandhar. Acting on this information, a blockade was set up near McDonald's Chowk in collaboration with the Zirakpur police on Tuesday morning at 5 am. When the traffickers attempted to pass through McDonald's Chowk at around 11.15 am, their Mahindra pickup truck was stopped and checked, leading to the discovery of 44 boxes of Royal Stag brand liquor labelled for sale in Chandigarh. Based on this, a case was registered under the Excise Act, and the traffickers were handed over to the Zirakpur police. The investigating officer mentioned that the accused were remanded for two days to uncover the supply chain.
