Indians are now drinking more, but not to get drunk

Sales of hard liquor such as rum and vodka have shown a sharp decline in 2014-15, while whisky sales have grown marginally.
Among wines, sales of still light wine showed 17% growth in 2014-15, the highest among all wine segments, driven mainly by value lines of local brands.

Indians seem to have sobered down. Better still, they are making wise choices while fixing their drinks.
Sales of hard liquor such as rum and vodka have shown a sharp decline in 2014-15, while whisky sales have grown marginally. A change in tastes and a yearning for aspirational lifestyles have led to the increase in sales of wine and beer.
Youngsters have fuelled a boom in tequila, sales of which shot up by 10% in 2014-15.

"Gone are the days when youngsters would stay over at a friend's place and down a bottle of whisky or rum, in the fear that they would get scolded at home. These days, it's more about social drinking over good conversation with soft alcohol such as wine and craft beer," said Kapil Sekhri, director of Indian wine company Fratelli Wines. "In every sphere of life, the erstwhile feeling that 'alcohol is taboo' is fading away."

Among wines, sales of still light wine showed 17% growth in 2014-15, the highest among all wine segments, driven mainly by value lines of local brands. Growth of champagne, however, remained muted with demand for rose increasing.

Flavours are keeping the vodka category alive too. While sales of plain vodka is showing a decline, flavoured ones are soaring mainly due to demand from young consumers. It's the same story with rum, with flavoured variety finding favour with consumers and growing by 45% in 2014-15.
Aspirations are driving consumers to upgrade too. The trend is stark in whisky with the Indian-made-foreign-liquor (IMFL) category showing higher value growth than volume growth, as consumers have traded up to higher price points.

Source: Times News Network dated 2016-09-11.