Vodka market posts 'heady' 35% p. a. growth

Mirroring international trends, India's spirits segment has undergone a metamorphosis — with white spirits (primarily vodka) emerging as a hot favourite lifestyle drink. With an eye on the increasing tribe of young adults (including an increasing proportion of the fairer sex) quenching their 'thirst' with vodka, several brown spirit drinkers are adding vodka into their repertoire across urban-semi urban markets.

The vodka market in India is currently 'pegged' arou-nd 1.5 million cases per ann-um but this is believed to be the tip of an iceberg. As against a gro-wth rate of about 5-7 per cent in the overall spirits industry, the vodka segment is growing upw-ards of 35 per cent annually. The regular vodka market is estimated to be around 80 per cent. The premium vodka market accounts for 20 per cent of the total vodka market while the share of the super premium category is less than 1 per cent of the vodka market. There is no substantial change in these ratios as both the segments are growing around 25-30 per cent p.a. Rahul Tandon, Executive Director (Marketing & Logistics), Triumph Distillers & Vintners (TDV), comments, "India is emulating the west where white spirits already have a huge share in the liquor beverages category. Also, vod-ka's elevated status is a result of the increasing awareness and shift towards more responsible, mature and social drinking. Vodka suits most palettes easily; 'mixes' and ‘blends’ very well with juices and other cola choices. In fact, it meets the aspirations and lifestyles of today's evolving urban consumers."

Deepak Chaudhuri, President-Designate, Shaw Wallace, points out that though the positioning of vodka never titled towards 'the macho' (unlike brown drinks), it is not considered to merely be a feminine drink. "It is a ‘youth-oriented’ drink that more women prefer—rather than drinking brown spirits. The male female ratio of consumers is still heavily skew-ed to males," he adds.

….. To read the entire story, grab your copy of Impact Advertising and Weekly magazine issue dated March 28-April 3