Mansion House maker Tilaknagar buys Imperial Blue From Pernod Ricard

Tilaknagar Industries, best known for its Mansion House brandy, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Imperial Blue business from Pernod Ricard India, as the French spirits giant restructures its India playbook to focus on premium offerings.

The sale marks a strategic exit for Pernod Ricard from the “admix value” segment, a lower-priced category of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), and is in line with its global efforts to sharpen margins and accelerate growth in high-value brands.

“We are pleased to announce the sale of the Imperial Blue business division, a strategic move to sharpen our focus on more profitable and faster growing brands in India, like in the rest of the world,” said Alexandre Ricard, chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard.

Imperial Blue, a popular whisky brand in India’s mass market, had long competed in volume terms with the likes of Royal Stag and Officer’s Choice. But Pernod Ricard now wants to concentrate on what it calls “premiumization,” doubling down on brands such as Royal Stag, Blenders Pride, and its global portfolio including Chivas Regal, Jameson, Absolut, and Ballantine’s.

“By exiting the Admix Value segment, this disposal will allow Pernod Ricard India to unlock further profitable growth and sharpen its focus on premiumization and innovation,” said Jean Touboul, CEO of Pernod Ricard India.

The deal is still subject to approval from the Competition Commission of India and is expected to close in the coming months.

Tilaknagar, meanwhile, gains a widely distributed brand in the Indian whisky market to complement its growing presence in the brandy category.

Mansion House is currently one of the top-selling brandy labels in India, and the company has been working to reposition itself in higher-growth segments of the alcobev market.