Premiumisation Push: Pernod Ricard India debuts two new whiskies

Pernod Ricard India has announced the addition of two new whiskies to its portfolio -- Royal Stag Double Dark Peaty Whisky and Blenders Pride Four Elements Premium Whisky as part of its strategy to triple its revenue over the next decade by prioritising premiumisation and innovation in the country.

“Both brands -- Royal Stag and Blenders Pride are market leaders in their respective categories. Keeping pace with the evolving consumer landscape and the changes in their palates, we have innovated with two line extensions under these umbrella brands. Royal Stag Double Dark Peaty Whisky is a fine blend of Scotch malts and Indian grain spirits. The difference is these Scotch malts have a distinctively peaty flavour; this is a category first at this price point,” Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Global Business Development at Pernod Ricard India, told businessline.

Blenders Pride Four Elements, on the other hand, has four distinct styles of Scotch malts and Indian grain spirits, each representing one of the four elemental forces.

Widest portfolio

Mohindra stated, “We have the widest portfolio of powerhouse brands compared to other players, right from the semi-premium segments, where Imperial Blue or Royal Stag would be market leaders in their own right, up to the most expensive Indian whiskey, Blenders Pride. Because of the width and depth of our portfolio, we can capture consumers at every price point and help them premiumise,” adding a lot of the company’s innovations, including the two recent launches are designed to help consumers premiumise by offering them a ladder with a significantly uplifted product delivery.

These products will be launched in phases, starting with Royal Stag Double Dark in Maharashtra, Assam, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, followed by Blenders Pride Four Elements in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Telangana and Goa. Both launches are expected to complete their pan-India rollout by December 2024.

“Along with the said markets, we will be moving across markets in Punjab, the North East, and West Bengal. Our full-fledged national rollout will take another three to four months, but the major markets will be ready by the festive period,” he said.

Both launches are Indian brands produced domestically across the company’s distilleries in India. For the Pernod Ricard Group globally, India is a key market with 97 per cent of its portfolio produced domestically.

Pernod Ricard India’s portfolio consists of Seagram’s whiskies including Longitude 77, Royal Stag, Royal Stag Barrel Select, Blenders Pride, Blenders Pride Reserve Collection, Imperial Blue, 100 Pipers, and international premium brands like Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute and Jameson Irish whiskey. Some brands in the white spirits category include ABSOLUT vodka, Jacob’s Creek and Campo Viejo wines, Martell cognac, Beefeater and Monkey 47 gin, Kahlúa and Malibu liqueurs, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagne.