Indians abroad can now sip their Indian Whisky and remember sweet memories of being at home. UB increases exports of Whisky to distant lands.
United Breweries Limited subsidiary United Spirits Limited (USL) produces the Royal Challenge, a whisky, which is associated to Indianism. The company focuses to officially introduce the whisky in the United States next month. The Company is all set to get in to the American markets where Indians are densely populated.
Tony Bedi, president of the UB Group in the United States, says that the company wants to sell Royal Challenge in areas where there are large Indian communities, and he plans to expand sales to Houston and parts of California. Besides Indians like my father, who are sentimental about Royal Challenge because they think of it as the brand from back home, the liquor has found unexpected fans in the Caribbean community in Queens, because of the Royal Challengers Bangalore cricket team in India, named for the liquor. “The biggest interest in the whiskey has come from the Caribbeans who love cricket and associate it with the sport,” said Mr. Bedi. In the United States, a bottle sells for between $14 and $17, slightly higher than the 500 to 600 rupees it goes for in India. United Breweries produces 1.4 million cases of it annually, which is sold mostly within India but also in parts of the Middle East. Royal Challenge is grain based and blended with Scotch malts from the regions of Islay, Highlands and Speyside, and also includes Indian malts.
Scotch refers to whisky that is made in Scotland, whereas whisky produced in Ireland or Japan or India is simply called whisky. Whisky produced in the United States is generally called bourbons (made from corn) or ryes, and tend to be sweeter than Scottish whisky. The spirit is made from grains like barley, corn and rye and can either be a blend or single malt, which is usually barley. Whiskeys vary in taste from smoky to light and sweet depending on the region they come from
USL is the largest spirits company in the world by volume, selling 114 million cases for the fiscal ending March 21, 2011. Besides Whyte & Mackay and Bouvet Ladubay being 100% subsidiaries of USL, the company has 21 millionaire brands (selling more than a million cases a year) in its portfolio and enjoys a strong 59% market share for its first line brands in India. United Spirits' brands have won the most prestigious awards for flavors, ranging from Mondial to International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) to International Taste & Quality Institute (ITQI); more than 115 awards & certificates. The Company is known to be an innovator in the industry and has several firsts to its credit like the first pre-mixed gin, the first Tetrapack in the spirits industry in India, first single malt manufactured in Asia and the first diet versions of whisky and vodka in India. USL has a global footprint with exports to over 37 countries. It has a sizeable presence in India. (With inputs from internet: AarKay)
