Company type | Privately held company [1] |
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Industry | Alcoholic Beverage |
Founded | Bangalore, Karnataka, India (1992 ) |
Founder | Paul P. John |
Headquarters | Bangalore, Karnataka , India |
Number of locations | 16 manufacturing units in 12 states [2] |
Area served | India, United States, UK, EUROPE, ASIA, Africa, UAE, |
Key people | |
Revenue |
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Total assets |
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Total equity |
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Number of employees | 2000 [3] |
Parent | Paul John Enterprises |
Website | www |
John Distilleries Pvt Ltd is an Indian company that produces distilled beverages, and the company's flagship brand is Original Choice whisky. It also manufactures brandy, whisky, wines, and the award winning single malt whisky called Paul John. The founders have sold 51% of the company to Sazerac Company. [6]
John Distilleries was founded by Paul P. John, originally from Kerala [7] and the son of a plantation and liquor baron in Karnataka. [8] He also has interests in hospitality. The company's first distillery was set up in Bangalore, Karnataka. [9] [10] The company launched Original Choice whisky in 1996. [11] [12] The brand was an instant success, taking John Distilleries to the top of the segment of the Indian whisky market. The company decided to take the brand national, and signed Malayalam film actor Mohanlal as surrogate brand ambassador. [11]
John Distilleries sold four million cases in 2005. Original Choice was the largest selling IMFL brand in Karnataka that year, selling nearly two lakh cases a month with John Distilleries' overall IMFL sales by volume in the state amounting to around 1.2 million cases. [13] Original Choice sold about 4.5 million cases in 2006, [14] and 6.41-million cases in 2007. [15]
John Distilleries launched the Big Banyan wines in 2007. Big Banyan Wines is named after the Big Banyan Tree near Bangalore, where the corporate headquarters of John Distilleries is located. [16] The chief wine maker is oenologist Lucio Matricardi, [17] who is a consultant at wineries in Italy. [18] Big Banyan initially launched five varietals. [18] John Distilleries officially launched two new variants under its Big Banyan brand on 7 July 2010 at The Paul, Bangalore, a business hotel owned by Paul John. [19] The new variants were Rosa Rossa, a rose wine, and Bellissima Late Harvest Muscat, a dessert wine. [16] Bellissima is the Italian word for beautiful. [19] Bellissima is the first dessert wine in India to be made from the Muscat grape. [20]
John Distilleries acquired Chitali Distilleries Limited (CDL) in August 2008 for ₹288 million (US$3.5 million). It was John Distilleries first acquisition outside South India, and enabled it to produce rectified spirit and extra neutral alcohol. [21] The company was merged with JDL on 1 October 2010. [7] Chitali Distilleries had previously been fully owned by the Government of Maharashtra and is located in Shrirampur in Ahmadnagar district. [22]
John Distilleries established itself in South India, retailing in Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh. In early 2009, it began retailing in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. [9] John Distilleries launched a brand of French brandy called Mônt Castlé in December 2009. Mônt Castlé was available across Karnataka in frosted glass bottles of 750 ml, 375 ml, 180 ml and 90 ml. The brand later expanded to other states. [23] Its main competition is Mumbai-based Tilaknagar Industries' flagship Mansion House brandy. [24]
John Distilleries sold 12.5 million cases in 2009. [25] On 1 October 2010, The company launched Roulette brandy in 2012. [26]
The company has always been making blended whisky, but decided to manufacture single malt whisky in 2008 [27] in an attempt to enter the premium segment of the market. John Distilleries chose to use Indian ingredients to give the whisky characteristics of its country of origin. The first bottling of Paul John whisky, branded "Paul John Single Cask 161 Whisky", was officially launched in London, UK, on 4 October 2012 by Sanjay Paul, CEO of Alcobev Limited, at the Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, England. [28] The brand's second release, "Paul John Single Cask 163 Whisky" was also released by Sanjay Paul, CEO of Alcobev Limited, having 57% abv and priced at £60. [29] Following the single cask release, Sanjay Paul, CEO of Alcobev Limited released Paul John's flagship single malt whiskies in May 2013. [30] They were branded Paul John Brilliance, Paul John Edited and Paul John Bold. [31] These expressions range from unpeated to peated and are available across 38 countries in the world today. With over 200 known international awards, the range of expressions also include Select Cask Classic and Select Cask Peated.
John Distilleries manufactures brandy, whisky, wines, and single malt whisky. Original Choice whisky contributed almost 90% of JDL's overall sales in 2010. [11] The company currently manufactures the following brands: [32]
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John Distilleries has a network of 12 manufacturing units across 8 States and the union territory of Puducherry. The company's primary distillery, a malt plant, is located in Goa. It also has a winery [33] in Maharashtra. The company also owns some blending and bottling units that manufacture IMFL. Many of these units are leased by John Distilleries. As on 30 June 2012, the total installed capacity for IMFL (including leased capacity) was 17.2 million cases annually (14.7 million cases per annum in respect of owned units) and for malt spirit was 0.9 million cases p.a. [5] There is one unit in each of the locations listed below, unless otherwise specified:
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John Distilleries currently sells its products in ten States and four union territories (UTs) of India, besides exports to Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The States/UTs it currently retails in are listed below: [34]
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Scotch whisky, often simply called whisky or Scotch, is malt whisky or grain whisky made in Scotland.
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.
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.
Talisker distillery is an island single malt Scotch whisky distillery based in Carbost, Scotland on the Minginish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye.
Glenmorangie distillery is a distillery in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky.
Grant's is a blended Scotch whisky, produced by the company William Grant & Sons in Scotland.
Balvenie distillery is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in Dufftown, Scotland. Is owned by William Grant & Sons.
Springbank distillery is a family-owned single malt whisky distillery on the Kintyre Peninsula in western Scotland.
Glenfarclas distillery is a Speyside whisky distillery in Ballindalloch, Scotland. Glenfarclas translates as meaning valley of the green grass. The distillery is owned and run by the Grant family. The distillery has six stills which are the largest on Speyside and are heated directly by gas burners.
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.
German whisky is a distilled beverage produced in Germany made from grains traditionally associated with the production of whisky. The distillation of German-made whisky is a relatively recent phenomenon having only started in the last 30 years. The styles produced resemble those made in Ireland, Scotland and the United States: single malts, blends, and bourbon styles. There is no standard spelling of German whiskies with distilleries using both "whisky" and "whiskey" and one even using "Whesskey", a play on the word whisky and Hessen, the state in which it is produced. There are currently 23 distilleries in Germany producing whisky.
Finnish whisky was first distilled from 1981 to 2000 at the Koskenkorva alcohol distillery in Ilmajoki, Finland, run by the state-owned alcohol monopoly Alko. After years of research and trials, the first brand to enter Finnish liquor stores was simply called Alko Whisky. In 1983 Alko introduced Viski 88 that became the best-selling whisky in Finland and remained in production until the year 2000. A 10-year-old whisky was sold from 1991, until the company discontinued all whisky production in 2000.
Bagpiper is a brand of Indian whisky, manufactured by United Spirits Ltd (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo. It was launched in October 1976. Bagpiper is sold in a square bottle with black and gold packaging design. The company describes the whisky's flavour as "a light malty aroma and a hint of a smooth woody character, owing to the use of malt spirits specifically matured in pre-identified American oak casks". It is similar to a blended whisky flavored with pot still malt whisky, but the neutral spirits used as base are distilled from molasses instead of grain.
Amrut Distilleries Ltd is an Indian company that produces distilled beverages. It is best known for its eponymous Amrut brand of single malt whisky, which is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. The brand became famous after world famous whisky connoisseur Jim Murray gave it a rating of 82 out of 100 in 2005 and 2010. In 2010, Murray named Amrut Fusion single malt whisky as the third best in the world. John Hansell, editor of American magazine Whisky Advocate, wrote that "India's Amrut distillery changed the way many think of Indian whisky - that it was, in the past, just cheap Scotch whisky blended with who knows what and sold as Indian whisky. Amrut is making whisky, and it's very good". In 2019, Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whiskey was awarded the "World Whiskey of the Year Award" and Amrut Distilleries was awarded "Word Whiskey Producer of the Year" at the 2019 Bartender Spirits Awards in San Francisco.
Amrut is a brand of Indian single malt whisky, manufactured by Amrut Distilleries. It is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. Amrut (अमृत) or amrit is a Sanskrit word which can be translated as "nectar of the gods", "nectar of life", or "drink of the gods". The company translates it as "Elixir of Life". The brand became famous after whisky connoisseur Jim Murray gave it a rating of 82 out of 100 in 2005 and 2010. In 2010 Murray named Amrut Fusion single malt whisky as the third best in the world. John Hansell, editor of American magazine Whisky Advocate, wrote that "India's Amrut distillery changed the way many think of Indian whisky – that it was, in the past, just cheap Scotch whisky blended with who knows what and sold as Indian whisky. Amrut is making whisky, and it's very good".
Paul John Whisky is a brand of Indian single malt and single cask whisky, manufactured by John Distilleries. The brand launched in London, England on 4 October 2012. Paul John Whisky is made from Indian 6-row malted barley and, for some variants, imported Islay and Aberdeen peat, distilled in traditional copper pot stills and then matured in charred American Oak casks at the company's distillery in Goa, India.
United Spirits Limited, abbreviated to USL, is an Indian alcoholic beverages company, and the world's second-largest spirits company by volume. It is a subsidiary of Diageo, and headquartered at UB Tower in Bangalore, Karnataka. USL exports its products to over 37 countries.
Radico Khaitan Ltd. (RKL), formerly Rampur Distillery & Chemical Company Ltd., is an Indian company that manufactures industrial alcohol, Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), country liquor and fertilizers. It is the fourth largest Indian liquor company. Radico brands are sold in more than 85 countries, including USA, Canada, South America, Africa, Europe, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.
Australian Whisky is whisky produced in Australia. As of December 2021, there were 333 registered distilleries in operation within Australia, of which approximately 50 have a whisky on the market. The industry has shown steady growth since the early 90s especially in the boutique craft distilling scene.