Pernod Ricard is building a malt distillery in India as part of a €200 million ($216.48 million) investment in the region.
This month, the Maharashtra state government and Pernod Ricard India signed a memorandum of understanding for the distillery.
The distillery, located in the industrial suburb of Butibori in Nagpur, is expected to take at least three years to build. The distillery will produce Pernod Ricard’s Indian whisky brands, including the Longitude77 line.
While few details are known about the proposed distillery, Pernod Ricard claims it will be one of the largest distilleries in India, with a daily capacity of 60,000 litres of malt wine.
It was also predicted that the distillery would consume around 50,000 tonnes of barley annually, which Pernod Ricard plans to source from local farmers.
Pernod Ricard has 24 locations in India. Most are wholly owned by the group, while some are joint ventures with local companies.
“This initiative is a continuation of our dedicated efforts to innovate in India and we are confident that it will enhance India’s position on the global map as a major player in the production of premium malt,” said Jean Touboul, CEO of Pernod Ricard India.
“The establishment of this distillery will give a boost to various allied sectors in and around Nagpur and the state of Maharashtra. Furthermore, the establishment of the plant will aim at providing new growth opportunities to local entrepreneurs and the farming community.”
Last year, Pernod Ricard launched the the company’s first Indian single malt whisky, Longitude77. It is produced in small batches at the company’s distillery in Dindori, Maharashtra.
The group produces several whisky brands in the country, including Blenders Pride, Imperial Blue and Royal Stag, all of which are blends of Indian grain spirits and imported Scotch malts. The Blenders Pride recipe includes Scotch malts from the group’s Chivas Brothers brand.
India is currently Pernod Ricard’s second-largest global market after the US. Touboul said he expected it to move to the top spot within 10 to 15 years.
“Pernod Ricard to build malt spirit distillery in India” was originally created and published by Just drinksa brand of GlobalData.
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