{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-25/brown-forman-india-scotch-top-10","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-25/brown-forman-india-scotch-top-10.md","title":"Brown-Forman Targets India Top 10 Scotch Market","headline":"Brown-Forman Aims to Make India a Top 10 Scotch Market Within Five Years","description":"Brown-Forman plans to make India one of its top 10 Scotch markets within five years, adding Benriach and Glenglassaugh after The GlenDronach's May entry.","section":"Expansion","published_at":"2026-10-25T07:34:59+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-25T07:34:59+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Brown-Forman entered the Indian Scotch market in May with The GlenDronach and plans to add Benriach and Glenglassaugh.","Adip Agarwal said he wants India to become one of the top 10 markets for his portfolio within five years.","The India-UK free trade agreement took effect on July 15, 2026, cutting Scotch import duties from 150 per cent to 75 per cent."],"companies":[{"name":"Brown-Forman Corp.","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000odb/brown-forman-corp","website":"http://www.brown-forman.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"Business Standard","title":"Brown-Forman aims to make India a top 10 market for Scotch in five years","url":"https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/brown-forman-aims-to-make-india-a-top-10-market-for-scotch-in-five-years-126102500116_1.html"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Expansion","Brown-Forman Corp."],"body_markdown":"[Brown-Forman](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000odb/brown-forman-corp) is aiming to make India one of its top 10 markets for its Scotch whisky portfolio within five years, entering the Indian Scotch market in May with The GlenDronach, its high-end single-malt Scotch whisky brand. The company said it plans to introduce Benriach next, followed by Glenglassaugh, according to [Business Standard](https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/brown-forman-aims-to-make-india-a-top-10-market-for-scotch-in-five-years-126102500116_1.html).\n\n## Brown-Forman's GlenDronach Entry and Brand Rollout\n\nAdip Agarwal, Global Vice President - Malts & Irish at Brown-Forman, said the company sees a \"scale of opportunity\" in the Indian Scotch market, the world's largest by volume, driven by rising consumer premiumisation, increasing experimentation with international whisky styles and a growing willingness to pay for quality. \"I want this market ideally to become one of the top 10 markets for my portfolio within the next five years because of what we believe is the scale of the opportunity here,\" Agarwal told PTI in an interview.\n\nBrown-Forman entered the Scotch segment in 2016 after acquiring The BenRiach Distillery Company and adding single-malt brands The GlenDronach, Benriach and Glenglassaugh to its portfolio. Agarwal said the company also intends to introduce its Irish whiskey offerings in India as part of a broader portfolio expansion strategy, and plans to gradually expand its broader spirits portfolio in India, including Irish whiskey, gin, and tequila.\n\nAgarwal said Brown-Forman does not intend to compete in the mass-market Scotch segment. \"We are not going to be in a hurry here. We believe in what's inside the bottle,\" he said, adding that the company hoped to carve out a share of the market's growth rather than simply take market share from existing players.\n\n## Brown-Forman's India Expansion Records\n\nBrown-Forman announced the launch of The GlenDronach single malt whisky brand in India in May 2026, marking a strategic expansion into the country's growing premium and super-premium whisky segment with the distillery's core sherry cask-matured expressions aged 12, 15, and 18 Years, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The same records show Brown-Forman launched The GlenDronach single malt Scotch in India alongside Woodford Reserve, expanding its premium and super-premium portfolio into a high-growth emerging market where the company reported strong double-digit growth.\n\n## Earlier Brown-Forman Moves in India\n\nBrown-Forman relaunched El Jimador Tequila in India in September 2026, describing the brand as an authentic and approachable tequila proposition for a new generation of Indian drinkers, Just Drinks reported. The relaunch targets a new demographic of Indian consumers.\n\nIn September 2026, Brown-Forman handed distribution of its spirits brands to Coca-Cola HBC in Switzerland, making it the twelfth territory in their contracts, Just Drinks reported. The deal follows a 2008 Hungary deal and a 2020 $220m Finlandia acquisition.\n\n## What Comes Next for Brown-Forman in India\n\nThe India-UK free trade agreement, which came into effect on July 15, 2026, is expected to boost Scotch whisky sales by reducing import duties from 150 per cent to 75 per cent, with a phased reduction to 40 per cent over the next decade. Agarwal said the company would introduce brands in phases, depending on market opportunities and consumer demand.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}