Nishant Sharma migrated to Glasgow from Punjab in India virtually twenty years in the past, beginning as a dishwasher earlier than founding his personal spirits firm, Rutland Sq., named after the situation of India’s consulate in Edinburgh.
This week’s announcement of UK trade deal with India has cleared the trail for main export enlargement again to his ancestral dwelling within the tea plantations of Assam, the place his great-grandfather discovered to distil spirits and mix whiskies with a Scottish colonial officer.
For 3 years, Sharma has been infusing gin with Assam tea to construct a cross-border narrative into the spirits he’s now promoting to Indian customers by means of duty-free retail channels.
India’s hitherto excessive tariffs have acted as a barrier to craft operations similar to Rutland Sq., which now hopes to use increasing demand for status Scotch whisky and gin amongst India’s rising center lessons.
“This new commerce deal offers us a gateway into India,” mentioned Sharma, who’s focusing on £2mn in gross sales by the top of this yr, 60 per cent of which come from abroad. “It should generate income for the nation and large employment.” he mentioned.
The trade deal halves tariffs on Scotch imported to India from 150 per cent to 75 per cent, with a discount to 40 per cent after 10 years. Nonetheless, the 2 sides didn’t embody Indian state tariffs within the announcement, which may quantity to an additional 150 per cent levy on high of federal costs.
The loosening of commerce boundaries nonetheless has the potential to spice up exports to India by £1bn over the following 5 years, in keeping with the Scotch Whisky Affiliation, a commerce physique.
India is the world’s largest marketplace for Scotch exports in quantity, with 192mn bottles exported in 2024, or 13.7 per cent of all exports. But it’s only the fifth largest in worth, at £248mn — 1 / 4 of the worth of exports to the US.
The deal comes at an opportune time for an trade dealing with a cyclical downturn as customers have traded right down to cheaper manufacturers whereas enter prices have soared, leaving stacked warehouses and cash-strapped distillers searching for to restrict manufacturing.
The world’s largest Scotch producer, Diageo, welcomed the deal announcement. India made up 6 per cent of the FTSE 100 group’s internet gross sales in 2024, or an annual $1.3bn, in keeping with analysts at Bernstein.
“In the present day’s settlement is a large achievement,” mentioned Diageo’s chief government Debra Crew, including that India was “the world’s largest and most enjoyable whisky market”.
“It will likely be transformational for Scotch and Scotland, whereas powering jobs and funding in each India and the UK,” she mentioned.
Diageo’s higher-end manufacturers similar to Johnnie Walker, that are bottled in Scotland, make up about 24 per cent of the group’s gross sales in India. Scotch imported in bulk and bottled in India makes up an additional 6 per cent, in keeping with Bernstein. The rest of its gross sales include native whisky manufacturers, that are unaffected by the tariffs.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated that the tariff discount would increase earnings per share for Diageo and Pernod Ricard by low single digits. “That is welcome information contemplating the present weak spot in spirits globally, however we stay cautious on the sector attributable to lacklustre demand within the USA,” they mentioned.
A partial UK-US trade deal, additionally introduced this week, has stored 10 per cent tariffs on most UK items coming into the US, with solely automobile and metal exports to America successful cuts.
“The welcome progress for different sectors is a transparent signal that the intensive efforts by the UK authorities is bearing fruit. We proceed to assist this measured and pragmatic method within the weeks forward in order that Scotch whisky can return to the zero-for-zero tariff settlement with our mates and companions within the US whiskey trade as quickly as doable,” the Scotch Whisky Affiliation mentioned.
So far as the UK’s cope with India goes, Jason Holway, senior advisor at information supplier IWSR, estimates that the easing of tariffs will result in a ten per cent worth drop for Indian customers of UK whisky.
“This isn’t to be sniffed at however is just not a game-changer both. It is very important stress that any financial savings is not going to be common and will not be handed on to the patron, no less than not within the short-term,” he mentioned.
Holway added that model homeowners had been already invoicing at decrease costs to compensate for the excessive duties. “India’s state governments will likely be reluctant to permit worth reductions as it can reduce into their tax income,” he mentioned.
Drinks analysts at Jefferies mentioned the deal would assist soak up extra Scotch inventories.
Presently, solely the most important gamers, similar to Diageo and Pernod — with 49 and 30 per cent share of the Scotch market, respectively — had been capable of afford the excessive value of entry into India, mentioned Jefferies analyst Ed Mundy. With levies lowered, extra small and medium sized manufacturers will be capable to begin exporting.
“This may assist to soak up extra inventories available in the market and partly assuage issues of a whisky loch, which dangers placing downward strain on Scotch pricing,” Mundy mentioned.
Exporters to India, the world’s greatest buyer for bulk Scotch, had been now extra more likely to push pricier bottled Scotch “which might ship long-term upsides, slightly than deal with low margin, short-term positive factors”, mentioned IWSR’s Holway.
Huw Wright of Edinburgh’s Holyrood distillery had already been planning to launch its whisky manufacturers in India. “Now, we have now decrease touchdown prices, we will be aggressive and spend on model constructing inside the market,” he mentioned.
The Isle of Raasay distillery, off Skye, already has an importing arrange in India and can “enter the market in a extra significant approach”, mentioned William Dobbie, managing director. Inside 5 years, India might break into the corporate’s high 5 markets by quantity — at the moment the UK, France, US, China and Germany.
Smaller distilleries must construct distribution channels and develop advertising and marketing spend, in addition to take into consideration safety of mental property rights, mentioned Brian Moore of regulation agency Dentons.
“There are many issues to do, however these are champagne issues,” he mentioned. “This is a chance the trade has been asking for, for a very long time.”
Information visualisation by Janina Conboye in London
