Alcoholic beverage companies are rolling out new products across spirit categories as consumption shifts from category loyalty to repertoire-led drinking.
Nearly a dozen products are either already in market or being introduced through early 2026-27 across whisky, brandy, vodka, gin, rum and tequila, as companies respond to younger consumers, and especially those who are moving across categories on different drinking occasions.
That shift is now reshaping portfolio strategies among bigwigs such as Pernod Ricard India, and listed players such as Tilaknagar Industries, Radico Khaitan, Alcobrew Distilleries, Globus Spirits and Allied Blenders & Distillers.
The change is not competition between categories but growing fluidity in consumption, where whisky, vodka and gin are increasingly interchangeable depending on occasion and context.
Changing consumer preferences
At , innovation is being aligned more closely with consumption behaviour than with product cycles. The company’s new Seagram’s Xclamat!on platform, launched in 2025, has everything from whisky to rum and brandy offerings, built for consumers who no longer think in fixed categories but choose based on context and occasion.
Debasree Dasgupta, chief marketing officer of the company, told Mint that it is a broader shift towards a pattern where consumers rotate across spirits rather than remain loyal to a single category.
This behavioural change is also redefining premiumization of alcohol altogether. Instead of a linear upgrade in price, consumers are now spending selectively across occasions, trading up in some moments while remaining value-conscious in others, according to industry insiders.
To be sure, the Indian-made foreign stood at about 435 million cases in 2025-26, up from 401.7 million cases in 2024-25, according to industry estimates.
Anant S. Iyer, director general of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies, an independent alcohol association, said companies are using launches not just to add volumes but to leverage distribution and sharpen brand positioning.
At Mansion House brandy-maker Tilaknagar Industries, the shift is visible in its expansion into the super-premium and luxury segment through ‘House of TI’, alongside widening presence in whisky and adjacent categories.
The strategy is based on broader industry realities: premium demand is rising, but consumption remains fragmented across price points and usage occasions.
Sanaya Dahanukar, marketing manager for the company, said the shift is now fundamentally about repertoire building rather than loyalty. “Consumption occasions in the alco-bev market are definitely evolving meaningfully, both in terms of where and how consumers engage with the category,” she said.
This is increasingly shaping how companies design portfolios, pushing them towards wider category presence rather than single-category dominance. Radico Khaitan is operating a similar strategy for luxury spirits. It launched Rampur 1943 Virasat single malt in late 2025 along with Kashmyr vodka.
The company is building its luxury spirits at the top end and also targeting younger consumers to capture those who want to experiment through flavour and also those who want to progress into premium spirits over time, Kunal Madan, chief marketing officer at Radico Khaitan, said.
This duality is becoming standard, say industry insiders. Consumers are no longer moving in a straight line up the value chain but switching across categories depending on the setting—whisky in formal occasions, vodka or gin in social environments, cocktails in at-home consumption.
Vikram Achanta, co-founder and CEO of independent drinks consultancy Tulleeho, said companies are now actively building holistic spirits portfolios. “Repertoire drinking is in vogue. Expansion is coming not only through launches but also through investments in startups and craft brands, driven by demand-side changes and positioning needs,” he said.
He added that sustained launch cycles, when backed by strong product innovation and storytelling, help Indian firms build familiarity with local tastes while differentiating themselves from global players. He also noted that craft brands tend to perform best when investors allow them to operate independently.
At-home consumption
Earlier in April, entered the tequila market for the first time under its ‘Terai’ brand. Companies are now tracking global categories earlier in their India lifecycle, particularly those gaining traction in urban nightlife and cocktail-driven consumption.
Consumption patterns are also shifting in terms of where drinking happens. On-trade (in bars and restaurants) remains important for discovery, but at-home consumption is rising steadily as consumers build home bars and experiment with cocktails. This is expanding demand for flexible spirits like gin, vodka and tequila that fit mixed formats and informal occasions.
At Alcobrew Distilleries India Ltd, chairman and managing director Romesh Pandita said product strategy is now driven by innovation, which is increasingly about relevance in a fragmented market rather than expanding shelf presence.
Allied Blenders & Distillers, too, are selectively expanding into premium segments as companies try to balance volume stability with value growth in a fragmented market. At the luxury end, it’s The Collective, which has limited editions, age statements and provenance spirits.
It also launched Zoya Pink Mix Berries gin in April. These spirits are catering to a small but growing set of consumers, treating alcohol as lifestyle consumption rather than a routine purchase.