This article contains promotional content .(May 2022) |
Type | Indian whisky |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Pernod Ricard |
Distributor | Pernod Ricard |
Country of origin | India |
Introduced | 1995 |
Alcohol by volume | 42.8% |
Colour | Brown |
Flavour | Smooth and smoky |
Ingredients | Indian grain spirits, Scotch malt |
Variants |
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Related products | |
Website | Pernod-Ricard.com/Blender-Pride |
Blenders Pride launched in 1995. It is a Rum brand of Indian whisky, owned by Pernod Ricard. It is a blend of Indian grain spirits and imported Scotch malt. [1]
Pernod Ricard has identified Blenders Pride as one of their core brands in India. [2] The brand's main national competitors are Royal Challenge, Signature and Antiquity [3] from United Spirits Ltd, [4] and Peter Scot from Khoday India Limited, [5] [6] In some states, Blenders Pride also competes with Haig Gold Label from Diageo [7] and Rockford Reserve from Modi Illva. [8]
Blenders Pride was launched in India in 1995 by Seagram. Seagram's global business was jointly acquired by Pernod Ricard and Diageo on 21 December 2001. [9] Seagram's Indian operations were acquired by Pernod Ricard. [10] Pernod Ricard had previously entered the Indian market by acquiring a 74% stake in United Agencies Ltd (UAL), with a bottling facility in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. UAL was merged with Seagram's Indian business and continued operations under the name Seagram Manufacturing Ltd. The decision to integrate UAL into Seagram was taken due to the latter's larger operations in the country. [11]
Pernod Ricard launched Blenders Pride Reserve Collection in December 2011. [12] At the time of its launch, the Reserve Collection was the most expensive whisky produced in India. [13] This whisky is a blend of Scotch malts that have been matured through the unique Solera process, with the finest Indian grain spirits, strengthening the Blenders Pride brand’s presence in the market even further. [14]
UK-based consultants CARTILS helped design the branding, bottle shape and packaging for Reserve Collection. CARTILS said that its aim was to "stay loyal to the original brand yet to ensure that its [Reserve Collection] significantly more premium nature was clearly communicated." The bottle shape for Reserve Collection is similar to Blenders Pride but has embossing. [15] [16]
Blenders Pride sold 250,000 cases in 2003. [17] out of 1.5 million cases country-wide in the premium whisky segment. [18] In March 2004, Seagram Manufacturing Ltd. claimed that Blenders Pride had surpassed Shaw Wallace's "Royal Challenge" (now owned by United Breweries Group) to become the largest-selling premium whisky in Andhra Pradesh. [18]
The following table shows the annual sales of Blenders Pride:
Year | Sales (in million cases) |
---|---|
2003 | 0.25 [17] [18] |
2006 | 1.2 [19] |
2007 | 1.5 [19] |
2008 | 1.9 [19] |
2009 | 2.3 [19] |
2010 | 2.8 [19] |
2011 | 3.5 [19] |
2012 | 4 [20] |
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a Canadian multinational conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Originally a distiller of Canadian whisky based in Waterloo, Ontario, it was in the 1990s the largest owner of alcoholic beverage lines in the world.
The Glenlivet distillery is a distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky. It is the oldest legal distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and has operated almost continuously since.
Allied Domecq PLC was an multinational company, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses.
Pernod Ricard is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis. The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produces several other types of pastis.
A master blender is an individual who develops specific blended spirits using a combination of spirits with different characteristics. For example, in the Scotch whisky industry, master blenders choose which single malts and grain whiskies to combine to make particular brands of blended whisky. A master blender is not the same thing as a master distiller, although one person may do both jobs at small craft distilleries. As the name suggests, the blender creates blends using spirits from different casks and is responsible for making sure the product remains consistent across different batches, while the distiller is either directly responsible for the mashing and distilling of spirits or simply holds the title as the administrative and marketing figurehead of the company.
Ballantine's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by the Chivas Brothers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard in Dumbarton, Scotland.
As of 2006 most distilled spirits labelled as "whisky" in India were a form of Indian-made foreign liquor, commonly blends based on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion consisting of traditional malt whisky, usually about 10 to 12 percent. Outside India, such a drink would more likely be labelled a rum. According to the Scotch Whisky Association's 2013 annual report, unlike in the European Union (EU), "there is no compulsory definition of whisky in India, and the Indian voluntary standard does not require whisky to be distilled from cereals or to be matured. Very little Indian 'whisky' qualifies as whisky in the EU owing to the use of molasses or neutral alcohol, limited maturation and the use of flavourings. Such spirits are, of course, considerably cheaper to produce than genuine whisky." Such molasses-based blends made up 90 percent of the spirits consumed as "whisky" in India in 2004, although whisky wholly distilled from malt and other grains, was also manufactured and sold. By 2004 shortages of wheat had been overcome and India was one of the largest producers. Amrut, the first single malt whisky produced in India, was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004. After expanding in Europe it was launched in India in 2010.
Passport Scotch, also called Passport Blended Scotch Whisky, is a brand of scotch whisky produced by the Chivas Brothers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard in Scotland. It was first produced by Seagram Distillers, PLC.
Chivas Brothers is a Scottish company that distills Scotch whisky. It is owned by Pernod Ricard since 2001.
Royal Stag, also known as Seagram's Royal Stag, is an Indian whisky launched in 1995. It is available in many countries across the world in various pack sizes. It is Pernod Ricard's best selling brand by volume. It is a blend of grain spirits and imported Scotch malts. It is commonly available in 1 L, 750 mL, 375 mL and 180 mL bottles and also available in 90 mL and 60 mL bottles. The brand is named after a species of deer famous for its antlers, that is also featured in its logo. It is produced in several company-owned as well as bottler-owned distilleries. It was the first whisky brand launched in India that did not use any artificial flavours.
Antiquity is a brand of Indian whisky, manufactured by United Spirits Ltd (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo. It was launched in 1992 and is available in two variants – Antiquity Blue and Antiquity Rare.
Signature, also known as McDowell's Signature, is a brand of Indian whisky, manufactured by United Spirits Ltd (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo. It was launched in 1994. Signature is a blend of imported Scotch whisky and locally produced products. Signature is sold in octagonal bottles which were designed by London-based design firm Claessens International, who also designed the packaging of the bottle. It is available in two variants – Signature Rare Aged and Signature Premier Grain.
Royal Challenge, commonly referred to by the abbreviation RC, is a brand of Indian whisky, manufactured by United Spirits Ltd (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo. It was launched in the early 1980s. According to Binod K. Maitin, a United Breweries technician who oversees all the liquor blends for the company, Royal Challenge is a grain flavored whisky, blended with Scotch malts and Indian malts. In an article for The Wall Street Journal, reporter Eric Felton states that, "About 12% of the blend comes from real malt whiskies: some of it made in India, some actual Scotch. The rest of the mix is a neutral spirit distilled from molasses. That means that, strictly speaking, Royal Challenge, like most Indian "whisky", is actually a rum flavored to pass as whisky." The manufacturer has refused to state the percentage of Scotch whisky used in the blend. In the United States, Royal Challenge is referred to as "spirit whisky". Besides India, Royal Challenge is sold in several other countries including the Middle East and the United States.
Black Dog is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by the Indian beverage company United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo.
Imperial Blue, abbreviated to IB and also known as Seagram's Imperial Blue, is a brand of Indian whisky, owned by Pernod Ricard, and launched in 1997. It is a blend of Indian grain spirits with imported Scotch malts. It is commonly available in 750ml, 375ml and 180ml bottles, and also available in 90ml bottles.
Rowson's Reserve is a brand of Indian whisky, owned by Diageo, and launched on 3 October 2011. It is a blend of Indian grain whisky and aged Scotch whisky.
McDowell's No.1 is an Indian brand of spirits manufactured by United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo. It is USL's flagship brand and the largest umbrella spirits brand in the world, comprising three categories – whisky, brandy and rum. The brand also has bottled water and soda. The brand began with the launch of McDowell's No.1 Brandy in 1963–64. The brand's slogan is No1 Yaari Ka No1 Spirit.
Peter Scot is a brand of Indian whisky, manufactured by Khoday India Limited (KIL), and launched in May 1968. It is a flagship brand of the company and is manufactured at their Bangalore facility. In Khoday Distilleries Limited vs. The Scotch Whisky Association and Others, Peter Warren, an employee of Khoday, told the Supreme Court of India that the brand name Peter Scot was made up using his father's first name, "Peter", and his nationality, "Scot". Another factor in choosing the name was due to the British explorer, Captain Scott, and his son Peter Scott. Although the name "Scott" is spelt with two t's, it is phonetically the same as the word Scot. The brand's main competitors are Pernod Ricard's Blenders Pride and United Spirits Limited's Royal Challenge.
100 Pipers is a brand of blended Scotch whisky produced by Pernod Ricard India Private Ltd..
Blenders Pride Whisky Archived 2021-05-03 at the Wayback Machine