Top brewers and distillers in India

In terms of revenue, liquor is one of India’s leading sectors and is primarily bifurcated into two types – Indian-made Indian liquor and Indian-made foreign liquor. Amid reports forecasting that the global alcoholic beverage market is set to double by 2023, the ripple effects are bound to be seen in the market as well. Therefore, we take this as an opportunity to take a stock of the players that have been driving the Indian liquor market for decades. Here’s a look at the top brewers and distillers in the country.

United Brewery (UB)

As the name suggests, United Brewery came into existence as a confluence of five breweries across southern part of the country. An undisputed leader in the Indian beer market, UB’s flagship brand is Kingfisher, which is synonymous with good times. The Kingfisher range of beer is available in at least 69 countries and is widely acknowledged in the international market. While UB began its operations in 1915, it was bought in 1947 by liquor baron Vittal Mallya. Apart from southern India, including Karnataka and Kerala, the company has breweries in West Bengal and Goa.

DeVANS Modern Breweries

Devans Modern Breweries Ltd is the manufacturer of country’s finest matured malt spirits and a few iconic beer range like Godfather since 1961. While it started with a 5-acre distillery unit at Jammu, which produced and supplied matured malt spirits in bulk to multiple liquor groups all over India, in 2006 it set up the biggest brewing unit in the country at Kotputli in Rajasthan. Besides, the company is coming up with a new distillery in Samba, where it already has set up a brewery. Recently, the company expanded its presence in north-east by starting production in Arunachal Pradesh.

Mohan Meakin

The inception of Mohan Meakin dates back to 1855 when Edward Dyer established a brewery in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh and since 1980, it has been known as Mohan Meakin Ltd. The company owns brands across different segments like whiskies, beers, rums and brandies, with its most popular offering being the range of Old Monk rums. Headquartered in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, the company has reportedly submitted papers with the Metropolitan Stock Exchange for relisting on exchanges.

Amrut Distilleries

A company founded in 1948 to supply rum to a canteen for the military, Amrut currently a leading producer of fine single malts in the country. The specializations of Amrut include high quality malt spirit, grape brandies and superior quality extra neutral alcohol. The company based in Bengaluru owns two bottling units while it has bottling setups in at least five more states. Many believe that the journey of Indian single malt actually started with Amrut.

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