Info for this newsletter has been culled from a number of sources. Wherever applicable we will include an acknowledgement / link to the source material. We intend to give you this update at a monthly interval.

Royale is positioned in the Prestige (semi-premium) segment of the whisky market and is intended as a competitor to Mcdowell's No.1. Radico has already got a presence in the Prestige segment - Special Appointment, which hasn't exactly set the Ganges on fire.

Allied, hitherto confined to primarily marketing Teacher's and Old Smuggler, is now planning to formally launch Ballantine's Scotch whisky and Sauza tequila. Should be an interesting tequila battle considering ex-Allied marketing Director, Ramesh Mani, has recently launched Jose Cuervo tequila on behalf of Focus Brands in India.

Watch out Air Deccan, there's a Kingfisher on your tail! Vijay Mallya has confirmed that the UB group plans the launch of a low cost airline in domestic skies. Well we know what's going to be served on their flights for sure! The sword of Tipu Sultan has now become the Sword of Vijay Mallya as Mr. Mallya has picked up the same from an auction in London.

From molasses to spirits seemed like a sound forward integration move, but Balrampur found the going a little too sour and has decided to exit the liquor business, so whisky brands like 4U and Blue Line and the rum brand of Black Punch and Xotica the RTD will no longer be part of our lives.

As part of their expansion strategies, both the UB group and Katra (a start-up funded by Ramesh Vangal) have indicated that they are keen at looking at joint management and if possible, ownership of strong regional brands. Old Monk, Hercules, Aristrocrat and Peter Scot - look out!

The Amrut group has cojones (Mexican for -----). They are launching a Single Malt whisky distilled in South India into the Scottish market. Blind tests in pubs have had tasters comparing it to a 10 year old Speyside Malt! (and stunned when they hear it's from India). Amrut will have its official UK launch at Café India in Glasgow in the summer.

Cobra Beer has announced a collaboration with Mount Shivalik Group, the largest independent brewing company in India. Under the agreement, Mount Shivalik will brew the UK beer brand under licence at its facility in Rajasthan, for the domestic Indian market. The first batch of locally brewed Cobra is expected to be out in September, 2004.

34 private liquor vends across the city contributed to more than Rs. 50 crores in revenue to the Delhi government in 2003-04. Spurred by these figures the Excise department is expected to initiate more agressive measures to make liquor retailing more pleasurable in the capital, including hopefully allowing the retail of wine in department stores. Time for Tulleeho to enter liquor retailing ?

The liqueur in question will be Starbucks branded but will not be available for sale in Starbucks own stores as they don't have a license to retail liquor. Australian ice cream maker Streets, a brand of Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever, said its llicit Vodka Cranberry Magnum contains no alcohol and is designed for adults. Last year, Australian biscuit maker Arnott’s launched Tia Maria and Kahlua-flavoured versions of its popular Tim Tam biscuits.

As a continuation of the popular Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails range, the new variant is Black Jack Cola, a cola-flavored drink with a "hint" of lemon and lime. Absolut Cut is a combination of citrus fruits, including lime, orange and mandarin, sparkling water and Absolut vodka. It is a result of a collaboration between Absolut and Labatt (owned by Interbrew). Whyte and Mackay is to launch a range of ready-to-drink cocktails under the Vladivar brand – in a joint initiative with Independent Distillers. The range includes Vladivar White Russian, Vladivar Black Russian, Vladivar Cosmopolitan and Vladivar Sea Breeze.

Bacardi-Martini is to test ‘Kalyr’, a cream liqueur (12.5%/70.0cl) made from exotic fruit and cream, in Northern Ireland before being launched throughout the UK. The new product is aimed at 25- to 45-year-old women and, although its alcohol content is lower, it will be in competition with Baileys and Tia Lusso (both 17%). On a lighter note, Bacardi denies any involvement in plots and assassination attempts on Fidel Castro. A recent program shown on BBC television aired revelations that Pepin Bosch, head of Bacardi in the 1960s, bought a bomber plane in order to blow up a Cuban oil refinery in the hope it might spark a revolution in Havana. The programme also alleged that he offered as much £60,000 to various Mafia hitmen to assassinate Castro.

Diageo has extended its rum brand Captain Morgan into two new flavours in the US, Parrot Bay Pineapple and Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay Mango. This builds on the already launched coconut flavour variant. The brand will be targeted at the 21-29 year old category. "Research indicates that this particular consumer segment is continually looking for something new and unique. These two new line extensions not only deliver on the unexpectedness associated with Captain Morgan, but consumers have indicated that these flavors are extremely great tasting as well," said John Kennedy, vice president, Diageo Innovation.

In a new marketing campaign, Diageo explains the absence of carbohydrates in four of its leading brands. Diageo is tapping into the low carb trend by reminding consumers there were never any carbs in its spirits in the first place. The advertisements are cross-branded, promoting the benefits of Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray and Crown Royal in a single effort. In announcing the move, Barry Sheridan, marketing director at Diageo, commented, "All four brands combined together strengthens our zero carb message and allows us to reach a number of different audiences."

The Easy Drinking Whisky Company is the brainchild of former master distiller at The Macallan, Dave “Robbo” Robertson, and brothers Jon and Mark Geary. There are three whiskies, two Scottish and one Irish. There’s the Smooth Sweeter One, the Rich Spicy One and the Smokey Peaty One – the preferred styles of Mark, Robbo and Jon respectively. “We want to debunk the snobbery, connoisseurship and cliques that exists in the world of whisky and cut out the waffle,” explains Robbo. “Rather than saying this is an 11 year-old single malt from the Isle of Skye, which doesn’t mean much to the consumer, we’ve added simple descriptions that drinkers can understand.” All power to you Easy! Hope we see you in a local duty free soon.

An Italian wine endorsed by Bob Dylan will hit the shelves later this year, according to press reports. It's a blend of Montepulciano and Merlot in a bottle signed by the singer/songwriter and will bear the name of Dylan’s 1974 album Planet Waves.

Namita Gupta has taken over as Brand Manager for Teacher's, Mr. Sinha (ex-Foster's) has joined Kyndal with responsibility for Absolut.

“I like to have a Martini, two at the very most, three I’m under the table, four I’m under my host!” - Dorothy Parker

Tullee Trivia: X-Plode is a cream liqueur available in sperm-shaped packaging adorned with the phrase “keep ’em coming”!

Tulleeho is a marketing and technology services provider for the alcoholic beverage and related sectors. To know more about what we do log on to www.tulleeho.com/about_us.asp

Tull-ee-ho! : A combination of the old hunting cry Tally Ho! and the colloquial Hindi word "tullee" (used both as verb and noun, and signifying a state of inebriation).

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