Imperial Blue (whisky)

Imperial Blue, abbreviated to IB and also known as Seagram's Imperial Blue, is a brand of Indian whisky, owned by Pernod Ricard, and launched in 1997.[1] It is a blend of Indian grain spirits with imported Scotch malts.[2] It is commonly available in 750ml, 375ml and 180ml bottles, and also available in 90ml bottles.[1]

Imperial Blue
TypeIndian whisky
ManufacturerPernod Ricard
DistributorPernod Ricard
Country of originIndia
Introduced2000
Alcohol by volume42.8%
IngredientsIndian grain spirits, Scotch malt
Related products
WebsitePernod-Ricard.com/Imperial-Blue

History

Imperial Blue was launched in India in 1997[1] by Seagram.[3] Seagram's global business was jointly acquired by Pernod Ricard and Diageo on 21 December 2001.[4] Pernod Ricard bought Seagram's Indian operations in 2002.[5] Pernod Ricard had previously entered the Indian market by acquiring a 74% stake in United Agencies Ltd (UAL), with a bottling facility in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. UAL was merged with Seagram's Indian business and continued operations under the name Seagram Manufacturing Ltd. The decision to integrate UAL into Seagram was taken due to the latter's larger operations in the country.[6]

Marketing

Imperial Blue was relaunched in 2002, targeting males age 25–35 years with the advertising slogan "Men Will Be Men".[7]

Advertising alcoholic beverages is banned in India as per the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Amendment Bill, which came into effect on 8 September 2000.[8] Pernod Ricard circumvents the ban through surrogate advertising.[2] Imperial Blue commissioned a feature-length film called Men Will Be Men in 2011, starring Rajesh Kumar, Gaurav Chopra, Rohit Khurana, Rahil Tandon, and Zeenal Kamdar.[9][10] The film was made over a period of seven days, with a budget of ₹10 million (US$140,000), and was released nationally.[9][10]

Imperial Blue became an official sponsor of the World Series Hockey in February 2012.[11][12][13] The brand has also sponsored music concerts in India.[14][15]

Sales

The following table shows the annual sales of Imperial Blue:

YearSales (in million cases)
20000.29[3]
20010.45[3]
20021.10[3]
20062.5[16]
20073.1[16]
20083.8[16]
20094.8[16]
20106.1[16]
20117.2[16]
20128.8[2]

References
  1. "Seagram's Imperial Blue". Pernod Ricard. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  2. "Indian Whisky Brand Champions 2013". Thespiritsbusiness.com. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  3. "Seagram's spirited growth stuns desi brands". Business Line. 5 August 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  4. "Pernod Ricard to acquire Seagram Spirits & Wine jointly with Diageo". Prnewswire.co.uk. 20 December 2000. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  5. "Pernod Ricard India set to take over Seagram's local operations this week". The Financial Express. 11 February 2002. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  6. "Pernod to merge with Seagram in India". The Hindu. 3 November 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  7. "Seagram Plans Mega Promo For Chivas Regal". Financialexpress.com. 26 March 2002. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  8. "Alcohol Law in India". ifood.tv. 16 July 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  9. "Pernod Ricard: The big screen way". Business Standard. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  10. "Seagram finds innovative way to promote whisky". Rediff.com. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  11. "Vodafone, Seagram's Imperial Blue sign up as official sponsors of World Series Hockey". afaqs!. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  12. "WSH gets two more sponsors". The Hindu. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  13. "Vodafone, Seagram's Imperial Blue join WSH as sponsors". The Indian Express. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  14. "The right note". The Hindu. 2 December 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  15. "News headlines". Daijiworld.com. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  16. "WORLD WHISKIES – Brand Champions 2012". Thespiritsbusiness.com. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
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