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.

The sale of BIO has still not been permitted nor has the government liberalised any norms relating to pubs and bars in the Capital. The only limited leeway has been to decrease the sq ft. requirement for department stores in order for them to be able to sell Beer and Breezers. Neighbouring Haryana's retrograde policies have also led to a drastic reduction of the number of on-premise outlets which sell BIO. The Union Budget also brought no cheer as import duties stayed constant at 150% and countervailing duties continue to apply.

Radico plans to extend the Old Admiral brand (hitherto only used for brandy) to whisky, rum and mineral water (no guesses for what their surrogate is!) and have enlisted the services of the comely Katrina Kaif as their brand ambassador. Boom time for them? "Har pal ka saathi" is the brand's tagline. Enticed by the growing RTD market, Radico is also contemplating the launch of some imported RTD's and has also put aside a war chest of Rs. 1.8 billion for brand and supply chain related acquisitions. In addition Radico will also take over Bacardi's entire stake in Whytehall and be the sole owner of the same. Bacardi will thus focus only on it's international products business, following Diageo's path who sold their Indian brands a while back.

Already the 4th largest liquor group in the world, the UB group is now planning an ambitious expansion into Europe and the US and is on the hunt for the right candidate to head this initiative. They are rumoured to be developing a rum brand for a global launch. Good category choice. The project is being code named Brand India.

Kyndal is planning the launch of more than 18 global brands into the Indian market between September 2004 and June 2005. Whyte and Mackay Scotch is on the anvil and then eventually Dalmore & Isle of Jura Single Malt & Glavya Whisky based liqueur.

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!

Big news in the Ultra-premium vodka market as Bacardi reportedly has forked out $ 2 billion to acquire Grey Goose vodka. Grey Goose is distilled and bottled in Cognac, France and is available in Original, L'Orange, Le Citron and La Vanille. Industry sources said that Grey Goose had sales of 275,000 cases in 2000, soaring to 1.4 million in 2003. Bacardi already has one ultra-premium brand in the form of Turi and Grey Goose will lend considerable heft to their portfolio. Your move, Diageo.

A large alcoholic drinks manufacturer has launched a marijuana flavored liquor. It's a flavored vodka, made from hemp but does not have tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the active substance in marijuana. Thank god!.

The World Beverage Championships, 2004 announced the results of the June 2004 double blind Unflavored Vodka Category tasting by a panel of industry experts. The top 3 in each category:

Premium: Svedka, Skyy, Seagram's Extra Smooth

Super-premium: Rain, Three Olives, Stolichnaya

Ultra-premium: Pravda, Level, 42 below

That's not a spelling mistake. "Nu" is a funky form of new and is an apt description of Glenfiddich's attempt to target younger drinkers via "nu jazz". In India they are sponsoring Jazz Nites at leading outlets. Considering however the Sunday Jazz evenings at Olive, Delhi I was there for had a bunch of old fogey's belting out country-western hits...

Last newsletter we had a piece on the Easy Drinking Whisky company. This time it's Compass Box Crafted Whiskies we've taken a liking to. Well-known whisky buff Jim Murray has written of one of Compass Box’s varieties, Asyla, “It’s so sexy you can almost make love to it.” Asyla has won Food & Wine magazine’s award for Best Scotch Whisky of the Year and the Hedonism varietal has won praise from writers ranging from Dave Broom to Michael Jackson.

At Vin Expo, the America's, Robert Parker laid the blame on the French AOC system for confusing customers and putting them off French Wine. ‘French wine producers are being beaten at the point of sale because wines from other regions are more accessible,’ he added.

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.

Rukn Luthra has taken over as General Manager (Business Development), Wine at Seagram India, also at Seagram, Sumit Jhunjhunwala has taken over as Brand Manager, Fling.

On the chest of a barmaid in Sale
Were tattooed the prices of ale.
And on her behind,
For the sake of the blind,
Was the same information in braille.

Tulleeho is a marketing and technology services provider for the alcoholic beverage and related sectors. To know more about what we do read our About Us

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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