Tag Archives: vodka

India Glycols Ltd forays into IMFL

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India Glycols is a leading company that manufactures green technology based bulk, specialty and performance chemicals and natural gums, spirits, industrial gases, sugar and nutraceuticals. After becoming a market leader in the Country Liquor segment with the famous brand Bunty and Bubly, the company is now ready to make their foray into the IMFL with their new launches, Amazing Vodka and Single Reserva Whisky. Ambrosia spoke to the Management Team of the brand in an exclusive interview.

With chemicals being the primary cornerstone of India Glycols Ltd business, the company continues to enjoy an undisputed leadership position in certain segments over two decades. And liquor being a by-product of the chemical distillation process, it was only natural to foray into this business.

While country liquor industry was the mainstay of the liquor division with their popular brand Bunty and Bubly selling 1.32 crore cases per month as against the next best-selling brand, which is less than 50%, the company will shortly launch their first 2 products in the Vodka and Semi Premium Whisky category, Amazing Vodka and Single Reserva Whisky.

The Chairmanof India Glycols Limited (IGL), Mr. U S Bhartia felt that IMFL Division should also be nurtured and brought up especially following the success of its country liquor. These sentiments are also echoed by Rupark Sarswat, CEO, India Glycols Ltd ‘the logical step for us when we started to explore consumer market was to look at country liquor and then much more market intensive areas like IMFL. We are looking to engage in the market, continue to take feedback but make sure that the way we build our business is slow, steady and solid.’

With the consumers constantly looking to upgrade and premiumisation being the focus for IGL ‘the vodka will be launched in three variants Amazing Plain Vodka, Amazing Green Apple Vodka and Amazing Orange Vodka for the time being while the Single Reserva Whisky will be launched in the semi-premium category with a unique blend and offering’ said Raju Vaziraney, Advising – President, IMFL for India Glycols Ltd.

Despite the flat growth in the vodka industry, the decision to foray into the vodka market stems from the fact that the consumer is moving towards flavours adds Vaziraney. “You will be happy to know the vodka market is 60% flavours and 40% plain and the consumer is looking to flirt. Flavours are the future of the vodka market and they will drive the growth of vodka.”

Although the precise price point for the Vodka isn’t known yet it is expected to be in the popular category where it will compete with the likes of the most popular brands by market share in the segment. However what’s interesting about the vodka is that it is five time distilled liquid which IGL feels will provide a very smooth and refined taste to the consumer.

When it comes to the Single Reserva Whisky, it will be a unique offering which is expected to be priced under Rs. 1000 depending on the State that you are in. The whisky is blended with Indian Single Malts making it a unique offering. This is a new concept of blending with Indian single malts which was done after doing extensive blend research with the help of the known blender Peter J. Warren.

Currently IGL plans to focus on these two brands and are looking to grow their portfolio stepwise following the success of these brands. ‘We are not going to take any shortcuts to success, put more money, gain volume and build stocks. We want the consumer to be delighted’ adds Vaziraney.

The IMFL brands are manufactured at the company’s Gorakhpur plant. S.K. Shukla, Head of Operations & Business Manager said that, “I have been at the Gorakhpur plant from where we started our IMFL journey since last year May 2020. Besides that global pandemic till date the achievement has been excellent and we hope that this new product Single Reserva Whisky and Amazing Vodka will be great success in the future with the help of Ambrosia’s support.”

B. P.Singhal, Procurement and Projects engineering, IGL adds that we have selected best of the packaging material, bottle design, which can create a stir in the market, mainly for the Vodka. We are looking to target the youth because vodka is typically consumed by the youth. Keeping these factors in mind we have selected the bottle and packaging for both the products.

With the overall market for Vodka estimated to be about 6 million cases, IGL is looking to grab 15% market share in the vodka segment. A success that T P Sharma, Sales Head(HOD), IGL is confident in replicating following their Bunty Vodka Green Apple Flavour Tetra Pack launch in UP, which has already cornered a market share of 42% in six months.

Both the products will be rolled out in the UP and Uttarakhand markets first with Delhi and few other States as the next options in four-five months time. By the festive period IGL is looking to have their products in more States. Both Amazing Vodka and Single Reserva Whisky will be sold via the on-trade channels with IGL looking at ATL and digital activities to promote them.

Shriharsha Bandaluppi, EA (Executive Assistant) to CMD and General Manager Strategy, said, “we are coming up full throttle by using the social media channels like Facebook, Instagram. We are also identifying the key influencers, all sorts of new age trends etc. specially strengthening the brand position with shoots, signage, posts etc.”

Women in the Dry State of Gujarat are Jumping on the Alcohol Consumption Bandwagon!

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Earlier, we reported that binge drinking among women has been increasing steadily over the past few years. Thirteen percent of adult women have reported binge drinking four times a month on an average while consuming five drinks per binge. A 2019 survey conducted by TU Dresden in Germany found that Assam led alcohol consumption among women in India. However, the North-eastern state is not the only Indian state where alcohol consumption has increased drastically. Gujarat, the Dry State, is climbing up the charts steadily too.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) released recently for the year 2019-20, it was discovered that the number of women consuming alcohol in the Dry State has doubled in the last four years. The survey studied a total of 33,343 women and 5,351 men from Gujarat. 200 women (0.6 percent) and 310 (5.8 percent) reported that they consumed liquor. 

Previously, in the NFHS-4 Survey (2015-16), the sample under study in the state included 22,932 women and 5,574 men amongst whom 618 men (11.1 percent) claimed they drank liquor while only 68 women (0.3 percent) claimed the same.

A comparison between both the surveys shows that while the number of women consuming alcohol in Gujarat has doubled, the number of men doing the same has nearly halved.

Gaurang Jani, a sociologist, said “The middle class and upper middle class have embraced the party culture in recent times. As a result, women in families have also started consuming liquor. Earlier, men used to go out to drink. Now, a new culture of consuming liquor in family parties has emerged. People are throwing family parties to celebrate even small events. Moreover, kitty parties have also contributed to higher liquor consumption among women, NRIs are also bringing liquor with them and enjoying it during house parties here with relatives.”

Jani thus pointed out that the rise in party culture as well as the growing acceptability of drinking in society has contributed to the rise in the number of women drinkers.

Grey Goose Vodka and the USTA Debut their First-Ever Limited-Edition Bottle Collaboration

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Grey Goose vodka is excited to launch its first-ever US Open bottle, designed in partnership with the USTA, available for purchase in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, South Carolina and Washington D.C. As the official vodka of the US Open for over a decade, Grey Goose has been encouraging spectators to Live Victoriously by celebrating both big and small moments as lifelong memories in the making at one of the world’s most exciting tournaments. The 1L bottle captures the infectious energy of the US Open, featuring a playful design of tennis balls bouncing on a racquet.

The recipe to create the Grey Goose Honey Deuce – the official cocktail of the US Open – is included with purchase of the bottle so tennis enthusiasts can easily recreate the signature drink at home. Comprised of Grey Goose vodka, fresh lemonade, raspberry liqueur, and topped with tennis-inspired honeydew melon balls, the refreshing cocktail showcases the versatility of the super-premium vodka, which enhances any cocktail. For those lucky enough to experience the tournament live, the Honey Deuce will be served at over 30 locations across the Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Frozen Honey Deuce will also be making its return at the Grandstand Food Village for those who need a bit more of a cool down during the heated matches.

“Over the past 13 years, the Grey Goose Honey Deuce cocktail has become an integral part of the US Open experience, beloved by players and fans alike. We’re excited to take our partnership a step further with the launch of the Grey Goose US Open bottle, which will allow tennis fans to connect to the joy of the US Open experience whether they’re sitting courtside or tuning into the action at home,” said USTA Chief Revenue Officer, Lew Sherr.

“The US Open is one of the world’s preeminent sporting events, where spectators have celebrated best in class tennis over great cocktails for decades – we’ve been honoured to play a role within its rich history,” shared Grey Goose Vice President, Martin de Dreuille. “We are delighted to debut this new bottle with the USTA, so that consumers can also treat themselves to the Honey Deuce in style by taking home a part of what makes the US Open spectator experience so unforgettable.”

GREY GOOSE HONEY DEUCE:
1.5 parts Grey Goose vodka
3 parts Fresh Lemonade
½ part Premium Raspberry Liqueur
3 honey melon balls for garnish

Chill a Collins Glass by placing in the refrigerator or freezer or by filling with ice water for 5 minutes. When sufficiently chilled, fill with ice. Measure and add vodka to Collins Glass. Top with measured amount of fresh lemonade. Measure and add raspberry liqueur. Garnish with skewer of 1 or multiple frozen honeydew melon balls. Note: to prepare melon balls, place honeydew melon in the freezer until firm, then use a melon baller to create balls.