MUMBAI, Oct 6: United Kingdom-based Allied Domecq Spirits & Wines, the world's second-largest spirits group, has lined up a host of launches of its reputed scotch whiskey and gin brands in the country by the end of this calendar year.

According to industry sources, some of the Scotch brands which the multinational plans to bring in are Ballantine's, Stewarts Cream of the Barley and Long John Scotch whiskey.

The company plans to focus mainly on the premium Scotch market in the country. It has already started promotions at leading five star hotels like the President in Mumbai for supporting Ballantine's, said sources. The company is expected to make an investment of around Rs 40 crore in the new launches, they said.

While Ballantine's will compete with existing premium category players like Black Label, Stewarts Cream of the Barley and Long John would compete with brands like Seagram's 100 Pipers in the lower end of the premium segment.

The company is also looking at the gin category of spirits. While the company has no plans to launch its leading gin brand Beefeater at the moment, brands which are likely to be launched in this category will compete with those of Gilbey's and Gordon's, sources said.

The brands most likely to be launched are Crown Jewel and Plymouth, their popular international brands. However the company does not have immediate plans to enter the very premium spirits category like Liqueurs in which it has brands like Kaluha and Tia Maria. Ballantine's is the leading Scotch in Europe and the number three brand worldwide. It also accounts for a quarter of all the Scotch whiskey sold in Spain.

Stewart's Cream of the Barley is a leading value for money brand in the UK and brand leader in Northern Ireland. As against these, Long John is a key standard blend for southern European markets and Scandinavia, in the Allied Domecq portfolio.

The company has just launched Teacher's 50, the first worldwide launch in the country, which according to the company will be its flagship brand. Teacher's 50 belongs to the super premium category and is a twelve year whiskey. The blends include 50 malts, some of which have been made commercially available for the first time.

The company is targeting volumes of 5,000 cases in the first year of the launch. Allied Domecq aims to attain a leadership position in the country's premium Scotch market with the launch of Teacher's 50, said Allied Domecq Spirits and Wine. said company chief executive officer Brian Senior.

The launch of Teacher's 50 is seen as a strategic marketing move, as with an India-only launch, the company will not have to contend with competition from the grey market or official channels like duty-free shops. With other Scotch whiskey brands bottled in the country, there is a danger of the internationally bottled whiskey eating into the shares of the domestic brand through the above sources. Teacher's 50 is bottled at the existing bottling plant in Rajasthan which has a capacity of 1.5 million cases per annum. The concentrates for Teacher's 50 will be imported and bottled in the country.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.