JAIPUR: Radico Khaitan has tied up with Diageo, the world's leading drinks manufacturer, to produce a new brand of whisky at its units in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh and Reengas in Rajasthan.

The joint venture, Diageo Radico Distilleries Pvt. Ltd, would initially focus on brown spirits and take up other categories subsequently.

World leader

Diageo, a world leader with brands including Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Smironoff, will provide mellowed perfection of Scotch whisky to the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) segment, said Raju Vaziraney, CEO, Diageo Radico Distilleries here over the weekend.

The new brand from the combine, Masterstroke Deluxe Whisky, would be positioned in the prestige IMFL sector, he said.

The manufacturing and bottling of products launched by the joint venture would be done at both Radico and Diageo's existing facilities across the country.

However, both companies would continue to operate their independent businesses and uphold their portfolios, Mr. Vaziraney informed. Radico, which has three brands in the Millionaire Club Survey of Drinks, has established brands including 8 PM Whisky, Old Admiral Brandy and Contessa rum.

Peter Warren, master distiller from Scotland who created Masterstroke whisky, said on the occasion of the brand's launch here that India's tropical climate needed smoother whiskies and Masterstroke was one such.

There has been a phenomenal growth in liquor consumption in Rajasthan in the past with sales of IMFL registering an increase from 18.99 lakh cases in 2005-06 to 29 lakh cases in 2006-07.

Growth

The whisky segment alone registered a 55 per cent growth with sales hitting 16.2 lakh cases from 10.9 lakh cases in the previous year. In the premium brand of whiskies the growth had been 71 per cent.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail