Pernod Ricard India is using Royal Stag’s record scale, international expansion and premiumisation strategy to build a globally recognised Indian whisky brand
Pernod Ricard India’s Royal Stag has emerged as the world’s largest-selling whisky brand for calendar year 2025, with sales of 32.6 million cases, according to the latest IWSR 2025 rankings.
The milestone underscores the scale of Pernod Ricard India’s flagship whisky brand and marks a significant step in the company’s strategy of building globally recognised brands from India. Royal Stag is currently present in 33 countries, extending its growth story beyond its domestic market.
The achievement comes as the Indian whisky market continues to evolve, with brands increasingly focusing on premiumisation, product innovation and international expansion to capture changing consumer demand.
“Royal Stag being ranked the world’s largest-selling whisky for 2025 as per the IWSR 2025 rankings is a milestone for Pernod Ricard India. What makes this achievement truly meaningful is what sits behind it: the trust of our consumers built over three decades,” said Jean Touboul, CEO, Pernod Ricard India.
“Royal Stag’s journey is an example that brands which evolve with changing consumer aspirations, stay rooted in culture and continuously raise the bar don’t just remain relevant; they go on to lead the world,” he added.
From Mass Scale To Premiumisation
Royal Stag’s growth has been built on a combination of scale, product innovation and a strategy of broadening its consumer proposition.
Launched in 1995, the brand helped popularise grain whisky among Indian consumers and crossed the 10 million-case sales milestone during its initial phase of growth. Between 2011 and 2020, the launch of Royal Stag Barrel Select allowed the brand to move into a more premium segment while retaining its core consumer base.
The brand subsequently crossed 18.5 million cases, strengthening its position in India’s whisky market.
The introduction of Royal Stag Double Dark represents another step in the company’s strategy to create differentiated products within the portfolio. Alongside product innovation, the brand has invested in quality and packaging initiatives, including its Mark of Purity proposition and Double Tamper-Evident Technology closures.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in India’s alcoholic beverages market, where large brands are increasingly seeking to move consumers up the value chain while retaining mass-market scale.
International Expansion Broadens Growth Strategy
Royal Stag’s presence in 33 countries is central to Pernod Ricard India’s ambition to build brands with global relevance.
The company is positioning the brand as an Indian whisky with the scale and consumer recognition to compete internationally. The strategy is also aligned with the growing global interest in Indian spirits and brands originating from the country.
“This milestone further reinforces Pernod Ricard India’s ambition to build globally admired brands from India, brands that combine commercial scale with enduring cultural relevance,” the company said.
The brand’s international expansion provides an additional growth avenue beyond the domestic market, while also strengthening its positioning as a global Indian consumer brand.
Culture-Led Marketing As A Growth Engine
Pernod Ricard India has also used culture-led marketing to build Royal Stag’s consumer franchise. The brand has developed platforms across cricket, music and youth culture, including Royal Stag Boombox and its partnership with the ICC T20 World Cup.
Debasree Dasgupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, said the brand’s growth was driven by its ability to remain relevant to consumers while shaping the category.
“Iconic brands aren’t built in boardrooms — they’re built in culture, one consumer at a time. Royal Stag becoming the world’s largest-selling whisky isn’t simply a scale story; it’s the outcome of three decades of staying relentlessly relevant and earning the right to be part of people’s lives. We’ve never believed in following the category. We’ve believed in shaping it,” she said.
Royal Stag’s growth strategy has therefore combined high-volume distribution with premium variants, product innovation and cultural relevance — a model that Pernod Ricard India is now seeking to scale internationally.
The company’s broader Indian portfolio includes Seagram’s brands such as Royal Stag, Royal Stag Barrel Select, Royal Stag Double Dark, Blenders Pride, Blenders Pride Reserve Collection, Blenders Pride Four Elements, 100 Pipers and Longitude 77. Its international portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute and Jameson Irish Whiskey, among others.
