VBev brings in fascinating whisky experiences

With the young and affluent Indian consumers taking to premium whisky in a big way, VBev has been reaching out with Whyte & Mackay portfolio to create new dimensions and experiences in the whisky segment. Sumedh Singh Mandla, CEO, VBev, elaborates on how this trend is shaping up and what the company has to offer.                                     

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •      Bishan Kumar

Premium single malt Scotch whisky has been on a strong growth trajectory in India and hence offers an immense opportunity. It is small wonder then that VBev has nurtured a strong partnership with Whyte & Mackay over the years. The Whyte & Mackay brand portfolio covers exclusive Scotch whiskies, offered to the customers across the Indian sub[1]continent. “Hence, we highly value this partnership,” says Sumedh enthusiastically. This creates a great platform for the addition of premium value for the Indian consumers at different tiers. “Along with Whyte & Mackay, we are committed to remain an important stakeholder in the Scotch whisky category, in India. We are investing time and resources to achieve higher penetration and to grow the pie of the category,” Sumedh adds. The Whyte & Mackay portfolio has shown strong growth in both travel retail as well as the domestic market in India, over the last five years.

Impressive Portfolio 

Their portfolio offers a great mix of craftsmanship, top quality and brilliant packaging to win over customers across the segment. Meanwhile, VBev has also been focussing on the premium hotel, restaurant and cafe segment and the results have been very promising. The response has also been equally good for brands such as Dalmore, Jura, Fettercairn and Tamnavulin. However, compared to Dalmore and Jura, brands like Fettercairn and Tamnavulin appear to have a lower penetration in the Indian market. Explaining the overall portfolio positioning, Sumedh says, “We entered the domestic market with a select portfolio from the house of Whyte & Mackay as we wanted to grow organically and build a strong brand franchise. We handpicked the portfolio of Dalmore and Jura single malts and over the years have grown the consumer offering to eight variants between these two brands.” “We are launching Tamnavulin in the domestic market during the next quarter. As a strategy, we have worked on growing the distribution reach, brand visibility, trial and brand recall. Each of the brands in our portfolio offers a distinct proposition to the target audience,” he adds.

Targeted Marketing

Thanks to the growing disposable income and aspirations among the discerning Indian consumers, the luxury alcoholic beverage segment has shown a strong growth in India. VBev is targeting this segment with Dalmore and the premium variants of Jura single malts. Brand awareness, curated experiences, special drinks strategies, consumer trails, etc. are therefore an integral part of its campaign to engage with a niche audience. To elaborate, all these three brands have their defined brand ethos and strategies. Sumedh shares that VBev works with the regional team of Whyte & Mackay to adopt the essence of the same for the Indian market and to develop local initiatives that are both legal and acceptable to their respective target audience. Ranging from ultra-luxury events to product awareness campaigns for the young and affluent audience, there is a good mix of the activities that are being offered by VBev across the key markets in India. Further, within the legal framework, VBev uses digital marketing to reach out to their target audience for each brand in their portfolio. For instance, Jura has particularly been picked to reach out to a young affluent audience. “We have witnessed success with several digital and on-the[1]ground campaigns. Our recruitment drive titled ‘Jura Sunset Cocktail’ with Jura 10 YO through influencer platforms and on-the- ground engagement in top hotels, restaurants and cafes across key cities was focussed on recruiting young audience, including women. It witnessed great response,” the CEO informs. VBev’s long-term vision is to be a key stakeholder in the Indian Scotch market and to offer a bouquet of strong brand portfolio to a cross-section of Indian consumers. Their additions to the portfolio this year include Dalmore 18, Jura 18 and Jura Bourbon Cask.