Allied Blenders & Distillers has bolstered its premium-plus presence in home market India with the addition of vodka brand Russian Standard.
The mark, which is owned by Roust Corp, is debuting in India this month with ABD handling the distribution side through its ABD Maestro division. All three iterations in the brand portfolio will be available in the market, with SRPs in Maharashtra of INR2,200 (US$25.60) for Original, INR2,600 for Gold and INR5,000 for Platinum.
According to Mumbai-based ABD, Russian Standard “holds a 30% share in Russia’s premium vodka market” and is exported to “over 85 countries”. The brand, produced in St Petersburg, has seen its export footprint curtailed sizably by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
“Our strategic distribution agreement with Roust Corp to introduce Russian Standard vodka in India is a significant step towards expanding our premium and super-premium vodka offering,” said group MD Alok Gupta.
“The super-premium-to-luxury [spirits] segment is roughly 3% [of spirits sales in India], but it accounts for nearly 20% of industry profit. That’s why this high margin/high growth segment is of interest to us. In our assessment, the segment will more than double over the near or medium term.
“We are hopeful to get a high single-digit market share from this segment, which will give us disproportionate growth both in terms of revenue and margin expansion.”
In February, ABD, which owns the Officer’s Choice and Sterling Reserve whisky brands – but is also present across the brandy, gin, rum and vodka categories – purchased Goa-based Fullarton Distilleries for an undisclosed fee.
