Bengaluru-based Amrut Distilleries plans to ramp its production capacity by 30 per cent by December 2024. The company’s distillation capacity is set to increase from 1.3-.1.5 million litres per annum by the year’s end. It was tripled 1 million in 2018.

The whiskey giant’s main markets for mass-market brands are Kerala and Karnataka, but the company is expanding its presence pan-India with its premium segment.

“About eight years ago, we entered the rest of the country with our premium alcohol offerings. Today, we are available in 22 states, and that footprint is slowly growing,” Rakshit Jagdale, Managing Director, Amrut Distilleries, told businessline.

He further noted that the premiumisation of alcohol is booming, and Indian consumers are now realising its value of it.

“Single malt whiskey, especially in the UK, was perceived as an elderly gentlemen’s drink. That concept changed 20 years ago when we launched our single malt in Europe because our consumers were young. We now witness the same trend across the US and in India. The younger generation is aspiring to drink better quality and less quantity, and the demographics and the entire concept of premiumisation have changed,” said Jagdale.

With global expansion in mind, Amrut currently has a presence in 57 countries with nearly 50 variants of its single malt whiskey available for purchase. However, for the company, its largest market remains India, followed by the United States, the European Union, and the UK.

“Japan’s market for Indian single malts is picking up, and the acceptance for Indian single malts globally, whether it’s the EU or America has evolved significantly. There is scope for the category to grow globally,” added the MD.

The whisky giant has two licenses in Karnataka—a distillery in Bengaluru and a bottling unit in Davangere. Another bottling unit is in Palakkad, Kerala. Amrut also has contract bottling facilities at four locations across India—in Punjab, two in Kerala, and a unit in Bengaluru. However, their single malt whiskeys are produced at their single distillery in Bengaluru.

Amrut was also recently awarded five gold medals at the London-based International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2024 in the “World Whisky Category.” The 29th edition of ISC saw participation from brands from across the world, including Scottish, Irish, and Japanese single malts. Amrut Fusion, which the company claims to be the most awarded single malt, has over 40 accolades at global forums. The total international accolades for the House of Amrut add up to 350.

Amrut Distilleries has about 80 variants of brands under its portfolio, including single malts.

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