Uppal Breweries bets on being proudly Indian whisky with Soorahi and Madhvan

Uppal Breweries and Distilleries has entered India’s crowded whisky market with a clear focus on Indian identity, value-led premium positioning, and measured expansion, according to Ankur Sachdeva, co-founder and chief executive officer of the company. He was speaking at the Brews & Spirits Expo held from 27 to 29 November, at the KTPO Convention Centre in Bengaluru.

Sachdeva said the company began its journey with whisky as it accounts for nearly two-thirds of the Indian spirits market. “We are a small but fast-growing company, and whisky was a natural starting point for us,” he said. Uppal Breweries launched its first whisky brand, Soorahi, around 10 months ago in Delhi, followed by a rollout in Punjab and Haryana. The brand is now set to enter Daman, Odisha, and Goa, taking its presence to six states within the first year.

The company’s second whisky, Madhvan, was launched about five months ago and is currently available in Delhi and Punjab. “Madhvan is the newer one, our second-born,” Sachdeva said, adding the brand will soon expand to Haryana and other planned markets. “Two whiskies, six states, in the first year of operation — I think we’ve done well.”

Addressing concerns around competition in the Indian whisky space, Sachdeva said the success of Indian single malts over the past decade has already validated the opportunity for home-grown brands. “If anyone needs proof of concept, it’s what Indian single malts have done — not just for Indian consumers, but globally,” he said. According to him, Indian consumers are increasingly confident and prefer brands that reflect local values rather than borrowed global cues.

“I don’t think the market has become too competitive at all,” Sachdeva said. “There is a long runway for brands that are globally benchmarked, culturally rooted, premium, and proudly Indian.” He added that India is still “at the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to domestic premium spirits and expressed hope that Indian brands would one day dominate premium retail shelves.

Explaining the positioning of Soorahi, Sachdeva said product development began with a strong conceptual foundation. “The story always starts with the concept, not the blend,” he said. Soorahi, he explained, was designed to be authentic and aspirational without being overpriced. “The consumer’s wallet is stretched today, but he doesn’t want inferior quality. He wants better for less.”

Soorahi is an Indian blend using Indian grain spirits and Scotch malts. Sachdeva said the malt content, age profile and composition exceed what many mass-market Scotch blends offer in India. “The writing was on the wall that we could actually produce a better product,” he said.

Uppal Breweries currently uses contract bottling in Punjab but is shifting production to Goa following the commissioning of a new bottling line. “The next batches that hit the market will all come from Goa,” Sachdeva said.

While the company plans to enter larger markets such as Mumbai, Sachdeva stressed that expansion will be phased. “We aim to be pan-India, but on a sure footing,” he said. The strategy involves adding a new state and a new product every three to six months. “This is a dynamic portfolio,” he added, confirming that two more distinct products are already in the pipeline and will be announced in due course.