India’s whisky market is changing from a traditional, patriarchal drinks session endorsing a couple of well-known brands to more choices, including made-in-India single malts. Last week, news spaces buzzed about India having outshone France in being the UK’s largest market for Scotch whisky. Never mind if this achievement (if it can indeed be called that) had to do with volumes and not value, against which the leading position continued to belong to the US, but yes, in terms of cases bought, it seems like India has got its heart for Scotch in the right place.
The irony of this feat was that the figure of 219 million bottles of Scotch whisky imported in 2022 constituted a meagre 2 percent of our country’s total whisky market. So, perhaps it was our sheer population size that got Scotch whisky its maximum clientele in India despite the whopping customs and import duties of 150–195 percent. But who’s complaining?
Scotch whisky, by definition, is distilled in Scotland, and while it was originally made from malted barley, commercial distillers have started using wheat and rye since the late 18th century. For the uninitiated, there are two main types of Scotch: the more premium single malts and the more common blended Scotch. Single malts are made from 100 percent malted barley, and the whisky is manufactured in a single distillery. They are typically aged for a longer period of time and are more expensive. Blended (malt or grain) Scotch whisky is made from a blend of two or more single malt Scotch whiskies from different distilleries. While Scotch blended malts need to be aged for at least three years in oak barrels before being sold, most single malts usually have a 12-year age.
Blended Scotches comprise about 90 percent of sales in the Scotch category worldwide, and in India, this is where both global and Indian brands like Johnnie Walker, Dewar’s, Cutty Sark, Chivas Regal, and J&B hold sway.
I am not quite a whisky person yet, being more partial to champagne and sparkling wines, as well as the occasional gin and tonic. But of late, I have felt a growing affinity towards single malts and bourbons, the latter especially in cocktails. So while I like my Jack Daniels or Jim Beam in a highball glass with ice and Coca-Cola (3 parts Coke with one part JD), I completely adore whisky cocktails made from bourbon, like a Whisky Sour (minus the egg white), Mint Julep, or Ginger Spritz.
These days, of course, a gifted bunch of mixologists are on hand to innovate with their creative skills and create magic like a Maple Cinnamon Whisky Sour, which I tried at a restaurant launch and which stayed with me. The stronger notes of smoke and oak were balanced by the milder, subtler nuances of vanilla and caramel, with the maple and cinnamon adding to a final fresh, mildly sweet aftertaste. Whisky is frequently perceived as a drink for men, and traditional whisky advertising is still prevalent in the United Kingdom.
I recall co-hosting a dinner at the Secunderabad Club. When asked to pour a whisky on the rocks for an elderly lady in a cotton Tangail sari with a big bindi, the liveried butler almost sputtered in surprise, "Woh Amma ko drink dena?"
Women now make up nearly half of the industry's total workforce, in positions ranging from distillers and blenders to marketing and brand ambassadors. For example, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), which is the trade body representing the Scotch industry in government and export, was headed by a former woman diplomat, Karen Betts, until the end of 2021 and has a woman CEO at the moment.
Historically, India has seen its royalty imbibe Scotch, especially in North India and more specifically in Punjab. In fact, the Patiala Peg, much used in spirited circles in north India, is a moniker credited to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala in south-east Punjab, who ruled the princely state from 1900 to 1938, and was devised as a strategy to defeat the British team at a round of polo.
Traditionally, Indian men have sat down to "ek peg," or one round of drinks (mostly whisky with ice or soda or water), enjoyed with some "chakna," or snacks, as stereotyped in Bollywood. The whisky brands endorsed were the low-priced, mass-appealing ones like McDowell’s No. 1 whisky, Imperial Blue, Royal Stag, Officer’s Choice, Bagpiper, Royal Challenge, etc.
However, today, whisky drinking in urban areas has changed quite a bit, with Gen Z willing to experiment with new brands that are international collaborations. For example, Oaksmith International Blended Whisky, created by Shinji Fukuya, who is the chief blender at the Japanese brand Suntory, was very popular during the pandemic years. Oaksmith Gold is a blend of matured Scotch malts and American bourbons aged in American oak casks. What's not to like? It helped that the pricing was extremely friendly too, with a decent-sized 750-ml bottle costing Rs 1300.
Social media marketing of such brands, particularly on Instagram, contributed to increased awareness of whisky brands such as Beam Suntory India (a collaboration between Suntory and Beam India), disruptions in larger brands' distribution networks, and easy availability online and in accessible retail outlets, implying that customers changed their brand loyalties and began experimenting with other brands as well.
India is also making its own single malts, like the absolutely brilliant Amrut Single Malt Whisky, which I tried at a whisky pairing dinner. The (then-upcoming) Amrut Greedy Angels 12 YRS Chariman's Reserve would cost Rs 70,000 per bottle, which astounded me. This is now the most expensive whisky in India, costing more than the original Scottish heroes, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet 12.