Tag Archives: beverage news

Monarch Legacy Edition Brandy Wins at London Spirits Competition

Monarch Legacy Edition by Tilaknagar Industries Ltd. (TI) has bagged a bronze medal in the brandy category, thus becoming the only Indian brandy to win at the London Spirits Competition 2025. Monarch is pure grape luxury brandy that is crafted with a blend of French and Indian grape spirits. This year’s edition of the London Spirits Competition had over 500 entries from more than 30 countries.

Tilaknagar said that Brandy which is the second largest category within the IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) segment, has seen relatively little disruption or innovation over the years. That narrative, it mentioned, is changing with Monarch Legacy Edition.

“This is a huge win — not just for Monarch, but for Indian brandy,” said Amit Dahanukar, Chairman & Managing Director, Tilaknagar Industries Ltd. “We launched Monarch to shift the conversation around Indian brandy. This complex spirit has so much potential when it’s made with care — but it often does not get the recognition it deserves. With over 40 years of expertise in brandy-making, we felt a responsibility to change that. For Monarch’s very first international showing to earn a win like this — it’s a strong validation of everything we set out to do.”

“In a contest dominated by celebrated brandy-producing nations such as France, Spain, and Australia, Monarch’s recognition marks a significant milestone—not just for the brand, but for India’s evolving spirits landscape, particularly the brandy market. And we’re excited to lead this shift,” said Sanaya Dahanukar, Marketing Manager, Tilaknagar Industries Ltd.

Monarch is a blend of French grape spirits aged up to eight years and selected Indian grape spirits from Maharashtra’s Sahyadri region — a nod to local terroir. It is distilled in coal-fired copper pot stills using traditional Cognac-style methods and matured in French oak ex-wine casks, it’s a spirit with depth, nuance, and serious character. Its flavour brings together notes of dried fruit, velvety oak, and warm spice. The aroma is rich grape and fruit notes with subtle hints of apple, nutmeg, and tobacco, while there is velvety sweetness balanced by creamy oak and indulgent dried fruits on the palate. The finish is long and warm with cinnamon, peach, and clove nuances.

Packaging

The symmetrical ridges of the bottle catch and refract the light, enhancing the deep amber tones of the liquid within. The golden metallic label, shaped like a shield, is among the few in India’s spirits industry to be crafted from metal. The bottle, inspired by royal chalices, has a metal-plated shield label and a mono carton featuring miniature style paintings of kings — creating a standout bottle.

Launched in November 2024, Monarch Legacy Edition marks TI’s move into the super-luxury space, expanding a portfolio that already includes global success stories like Mansion House Brandy and Courrier Napoleon.

The brandy has ABV 42.8% in a 750 ml bottle. The MRP is ₹ 6750 in Maharashtra, ₹4000 in Goa, and ₹3500 in Pondicherry.

Piccadily launches Indri Founder’s Reserve single malt whisky, tribute to Kidar Nath Sharma

Leave a reply

Piccadily Agro Industries Ltd, the parent company of India’s fastest-growing single malt whisky brand, Indri, has unveiled its latest creation: Indri Founder’s Reserve 11-Year-Old Single Malt. This new offering is dedicated to the group’s founder, Pt. Kidar Nath Sharma, as a tribute to his legacy.

Aged for 11 years in Ex-Bordeaux Red Wine Casks, this offering is a limited-edition release with only 1,100 bottles available worldwide, of which 550 will be for the Indian market. The company said the release is both a collector’s treasure and a connoisseur’s delight. The limited-edition single malt is priced at ₹35,000 in Gurugram.

The oak barrels so used are the ones that were previously used to age red wine from the Bordeaux region of France and are now repurposed for aging whisky. The whisky will have a 50% alcohol by volume (ABV) for India and 58.5% ABV for international markets.

The whisky is kept at its distillery located in Haryana under extreme climate conditions throughout the year, accelerating the whisky’s maturation, creating an opulent, full-bodied expression that exudes complexity and depth unique to the region’s terroir.

“Indri Founder’s Reserve 11-Year-Old single malt is a symbol of India’s ascension in the world of fine single malt whisky. Aged to perfection and crafted with care, this expression embodies the essence of our founder’s dream: to create world-class Indian single malt whisky with soul, structure, and enduring quality,” said Shalini Sharma, Head of Marketing, Piccadily Agro Industries Limited, in a statement.

“The deep amber liquid offers an aromatic bouquet of dark fruits and warm spices that open into a palate of caramelised nuts, and velvety vanilla, concluding with an indulgent finish of oak and wine-influenced sweetness,” the group said in a statement.

The Founder’s Reserve 11-Year-Old single malt whisky has garnered several prestigious global accolades, including the Gold Award at the 2025 World Whisky Awards in the Single Malts 12 Years & Under category, a spot among the top 15 whiskies in the world at the International Whisky Competition, and a Gold Medal at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, among other notable honours.

Suntory Holdings establishes Suntory India

Names Masashi Matsumura as Managing Director

Suntory Holdings has announced the establishment of Suntory India Private Limited, which aims to cover corporate functions required to build a firm business foundation and accelerate growth in its existing spirits business and establish opportunities for soft drinks as well as health and wellness businesses in the Indian market. The new company will commence its operations in July.

“We are delighted to unveil a new base of Suntory Holdings in India, a country with a large population and a rapidly growing economy,” said Tak Niinami, President & CEO of Suntory Holdings. “India is a remarkably attractive market and a key geopolitical player on the global stage, with strong cultural and economic ties with Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Together with our spirits business, Suntory Global Spirits, we will enhance our presence as a multifaceted beverage company in this vital market by supporting our soft drinks and health & wellness businesses to build foundations in India through investments and partnerships.”

Suntory India will be headed by Managing Director, Masashi Matsumura with its office located in DLF Cyber City, Phase II, Gurgaon, Haryana.

The Group offers a diverse portfolio of products, from award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki and Hibiki, iconic American whiskies Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark, canned ready-to-drink -196, The Premium Malt’s beer, Japanese wine Tomi, and the world-famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes non-alcoholic favourites Orangina, Lucozade, Oasis, BOSS coffee, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ OolongTea, and V energy drink, as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX. Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown its operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, with an annual revenue (excluding excise taxes) of $20.9 billion in 2023. It has a strength of 41,511 employees across the world.