Do you love whiskey?
Do you enjoy going to whiskey parties?
Most of you will say YES!
Whiskey is the heart of any party. You can also spot them in Indian wedding functions, birthday functions, and office seminars.
So now tell, how many of you know about the history and origin of WHISKY?
Be patient…
We are going to discuss everything about WHISKY in this article. We will also have a look on top whisky brands in India.
Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage prepared from the distillation of fruits and grains. It is a famous drink in all the countries of the globe.
Let us discuss the history of whiskey.
The origin of whiskey dates back to 2000 BC when Babylonians practiced the method of distillation. As per the historical records, Whisky was introduced in India during the 18th century by the British East India Company.
Do you want to know some more facts about whiskey?
Every year, Indian people consume more than 1.7 billion liters of whiskey. It is one of the most popular drinks in India on special occasions such as parties, marriage functions and birthday anniversaries.
India mainly produces whiskey from wheat due to the large wheat production.
Table of Contents
Best whiskey brands in India
Rampur Single Malt Whisky
Rampur Distillery is the leading Indian company producing varieties of spirits.
It also produces whiskey of flavors such as vanilla, apricot, and others. Single malt whiskey is the famous product of Rampur distilleries of Uttar Pradesh.
It is golden in color and has flavors of dried fruits, honey, and toffee In addition to that, it has the taste of creamy vanilla and malt.
Rampur Single Malt Whisky is also popular in other countries of the world such as the US, UK, and Australia.
Royal Challenge
The next on the list is one of the best whiskey brands in India, Royal Challenge.
It makes the whiskey by combining Indian malts and Scotch malts. Royal
Challenge whiskey was first produced by Shaw Wallace Company and then arrived in India in the late 20th century.
The sales of Royal Challenge whiskey amounted to over 1 million in the year 2003 and 2004.
This whiskey is sold in the markets of the United States and Middle East countries.
Peter Scot
Peter Scot is the Indian whiskey brand formed in the year 1968 by Khoday Indian Limited (KIL).
It has its manufacturing unit in Banglore, Karnataka, India.
The name of the brand Peter Scot comes for the name of British traveler, Captain Scott and his son named Peter Scott.
It is one of the highest selling whiskeys in India and other countries of the globe. It has a neck to neck competition with popular brands such as Royal Challenge and Blenders Pride.
McDowell’s No-1
McDowell’s No 1 is the brand owned by United Spirits Limited. Earlier, the owner of this brand was AsareTakyi distilleries. It manufacturers brandy, whiskey rum.
Apart from that, it also produces soda and bottled water. McDowell’s No-1 launched between the years 1963 and 1964.
It uses the slogan of Mera No 1 in all the advertisements and marketing campaigns.
This whiskey is popular in numerous other countries like Canada, the Middle East, Africa, and the UAE.
Royal Stag
Royal Stag is one of the best whiskey brands in India formed in the year 1995. The owner of this brand is Pernod Ricard.
This brand has the logo of deer with antlers.
One of the most unique things of this brand is that it prepares whiskey by mixing grain spirits and Scotch malts. It does not include molasses or artificial flavors.
It is one of the biggest selling whiskey brands in the world.
Signature
The next on the list is Signature. It is owned by United Spirits Ltd. This brand came into existence in the year 1994.
The preparation of whiskey includes the blending of Indian malt and Scotch whiskey.
It generally comes in 2 forms which are Signature Rare Aged and Signature Premier Grain.
The bottles of Signature whiskey have an octagonal shape. Apart from that, this brand has received many awards for its unique taste and concept.
Blenders Pride
At number 7, it is again the brand of Pernod Ricard. Blenders Pride formed in the year 1995.
It is the whiskey brand of India producing rich quality Indian grain spirits and Scotch malt.
This brand sells whiskey in different sizes such as 180 ml, 375ml, 750ml, 1L and 2 L. As per the reports of 2012, Blenders pride sells over 4 million cases in the world.
The competitors of Blenders Pride are Antiquity, Signature and Royal Challenge.
Officer’s Choice
Officer’s brand is one of the best whiskey brands in India and in the world too. The owner of this brand is Allied Blenders & Distillers.
The ingredients of Officer’s Choice primarily include grain and it does not contain artificial flavors or colors.
The sales of Officer’s Choice have always surpassed the sales of bigger competitors such as Smirnoff Vodka and Johnnie Walker.
Antiquity
Antiquity is a famous Indian whiskey brand formed in the year 1992. It is owned by United Spirits Ltd. The company sells whiskey in 2 forms which are Antiquity Blue and Antiquity Rare.
The main ingredients of Antiquity brand are grain spirits and Scotch malt whiskey.
The brand won the award of “Silver Best in Class” at one of the conferences in Las Vegas in the year 2012.
Bagpiper
The last on the list is Bagpiper. The owner of this brand is again United Spirits Ltd. This brand arrived in the year 1976.
The bottles of Bagpiper whiskey generally have square shape with black and golden design on them.
Bagpiper prepares the whiskey with malt spirits and molasses. The whiskey of Bagpiper has a light malty smell.
This whiskey is famous in more than 11 countries in the world. The annual global sales of Bagpiper whiskey are more than 14 million cases.
Conclusion
These are the best whiskey brands in India you can try for any of the special occasions. Besides this, India makes some of the finest quality beers and rums. Old Monk is the best rum brand in the world. If you are looking for top Wine Brands in India you can click on the link.
Every year, the sales of whiskey double in the country because of which many foreign whiskey brands have now entered Indian markets.