India is now the largest market by volume and second-largest by value for the French spirit maker Pernod Ricard, which owns popular brands such as Absolut, Chivas Regal, and Glenlivet, said its India MD Jean Touboul on Wednesday.
The India market, which reported a 6.1 per cent growth in net sales in FY24, has become a “growth engine” for Pernod Ricard, he said. The French company also owns the IMFL portfolio of Royal Stag, Blenders Pride and Imperial Blue.
The group’s unit in the country confirmed this week that a EUR200m (US$216.6m) investment will go into the construction of the facility in the “industrial suburb” of Butibori in Nagpur. The selected location is in the middle of India, around 1,000km south of capital New Delhi.
Described by Pernod Ricard as a “malt spirit” distillery, the facility will have an annual production capacity of 219,000 hectolitres when operational. Construction has yet to commence, with the situation currently at the memorandum of understanding stage, between the brand owner and Maharashtra state officials.
The news comes two months after the launch in China of The Chuan Pure Malt Whisky, containing whisky from Pernod Ricard’s facility in the country’s Sichuan province. Distillation at The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery in Emeishan started in mid-2021.
“We are confident that [the Butibori distillery] will elevate India’s standing on the global map, as a key player in the production of high-quality malt,” said Pernod Ricard India CEO Jean Touboul. “The foundation of the plant will aim to provide local entrepreneurs and the farmer community with new avenues of growth.”
Late last year, the Chivas Regal and Jameson Irish whiskey owner debuted domestically-produced single malt Longitude77 in India. The brand is sourced from the company’s distillery in Dindori, Nashik, also in Maharashtra.
