Dark spirits would give way to white spirits: Kishore Chhabria

Mumbai, July 11 (UNI) With the growth in number of affluent drinkers, the country will witness a change in their choice of drinks, with dark spirits like whiskey and rum giving way to white spirits like vodka, liquor baron Kishore Chhabria said today.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Mr Chhabria, whose Allied Distillers&Blenders (ADB) is a major player in the 150 million cases liquor market, with brands like Officer's Choice, said, ''As society gets more affluent, they will drink less, but go for better brands.'' He said similar to the trends witnessed in other major markets like Europe and US, in India, although whiskey still rules the market, drinks like vodka and wines are rapidly gaining ground.

''Sales of vodka accounts for four million cases out of 150 million for the total market, but it is rapidly growing, especially in the metros,'' Mr Chhabria said.

ADB already has its own vodka brand in the mid-range segment and has recently tied up with major German producer -- Henkell&Sohnlein to produce and market the latter's premium vodka ''Gorbatschow'' in the market.

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