Irish Distillers chairman Nodjame Fouad expects India to become its second-largest market globally, driven by premiumisation and consumers experimenting across spirits after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the past three years, India has surpassed more than a dozen countries to become the third-largest market for the producer of Jameson whiskey, up from 17th place in 2020.
“India is a strategic market for us. It has quickly emerged to be one of our top markets. It has been, over the last number of years, growing in a way that it has outranked other markets. And we hope in the future for it to be our number two market. Our second-largest market is currently South Africa and our number one market is the United States. We will hopefully get there in the coming years,” Fouad said.
“India is a strategic market for us. There’s a massive consumer base. It’s a large whisky market, so we look at it as an important market for the strategic development of Jameson,” she added.
In 2023, India emerged as the leading market for whisky, with 400 million cases sold, constituting two-thirds of the country’s total liquor sales. While there’s been downward pressure on mass-market brands, premium spirits across various segments have shown resilience against the overall consumer slowdown. This resilience is fueled by increased consumption among millennials and a burgeoning middle class, which is increasingly opting for higher-priced beverages.
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For instance, Scotch sales in India nearly doubled to 7.5 million cases (nine litres each) in 2022 from 3.9 million cases in 2020. However, the focus on Scotch sales can overshadow the significant progress made by other imported whiskies. For example, in 2015, sales of US whisky were under 50,000 nine-litre cases. By the end of 2022, however, sales had quadrupled, with a surge of 70% in that year alone, according to an IWSR report. Nevertheless, the performance of US whisky was eclipsed by Irish whisky, particularly Pernod Ricard’s Jameson, underscoring the importance of distribution and availability in driving sales.
“In 2015, annual sales of Irish whisky were less than 10,000 nine-litre cases. There were still only 50,000 cases in 2019, a level that US whisky had already achieved by 2015. But by 2021, Irish whisky outsold US whisky by 50,000 nine-litre cases, rising to 100,000 cases a year later,” said the IWSR report. “Between 2018 and 2022, Irish whisky sales have risen almost tenfold and growth was 80% in 2022 alone. Lockdowns were a key driver of growth for both US and Irish whisky, stimulating investigation, experimentation and repeat purchase.”
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In India, Jameson dominates its segment, commanding approximately 95% market share. Additionally, it ranks among the top ten best-selling whisky brands globally. Irish Distillers, a subsidiary of the French spirits company Pernod Ricard, has witnessed Jameson achieve a remarkable compounded annual growth rate of 76% between 2017 and 2022, making it the fastest-growing whisky in its portfolio. The brand’s ability to appeal to consumers across various segments and age groups has been a key factor in its success, according to the company.