E-Malt.com News article: India: Youngest legal-age consumers reshaping how alcohol is consumed in India

India’s youngest legal-age consumers are reshaping how alcohol is consumed, not by stepping away from it, but by redefining the terms of engagement. That is the central takeaway from a conversation with Debasree Dasgupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, the Economic Times reported on April 11.

At a time when global discourse often frames Gen Z as drinking less, Dasgupta offers a more nuanced view from within India’s booming alco-bev market, one that ties directly into premiumisation, cultural aspiration, and shifting social behaviour.

She also underscored the scale of the opportunity, noting that India is the world’s largest whisky market, with Pernod Ricard India holding over 50% market share in the premium whisky segment.

There’s a lot of discussion around Gen Z drinking less which is a wider industry concern. But Dasgupta’s response is clear: the shift is real, but not in the way it is often framed.

While younger consumers may be moderating volumes, “they are not rejecting the category, they are drinking better,” she said, positioning this behavioural change as a structural tailwind rather than a threat.

India, she emphasised, continues to see strong category expansion, with “around 30 million new Legal Drinking Age (LDA+) consumers entering the fold every year,” ensuring a steady inflow of new drinkers even as habits evolve.

As a market leader, she added, the company caters to a wide demographic spanning new entrants, younger millennials, and older consumers.

While much of the world sees Gen Z moving toward sobriety, or at least flirting with it, the shift in India is far less stark. The habits aren’t disappearing; they’re evolving.

Across global markets, younger consumers are cutting back, and in some cases stepping away from alcohol altogether. In the US, alternatives like cannabis, wellness trends, and non-alcoholic beverages have started to chip away at traditional consumption.

In parts of Europe, rising costs have taken the edge off bar culture. India, however, is on a different trajectory, still growing, still experimenting, and not quite ready to hit pause.

“Young Indians aren’t quitting alcohol as such, but just upgrading their favourite tipple,” says Praveen Someshwar, managing director of Diageo India, speaking to ET.

The consumer base itself continues to expand, driven by millions entering the legal drinking age each year, alongside relatively low per capita consumption compared to global benchmarks. In simple terms, the market isn’t shrinking, it’s still maturing.

“Gen Z consumers in India are drinking less but drinking better,” says Vinay Golikeri, managing director, Bacardi India and Southeast Asia, a line that holds up when you look at changing preferences.

The classic whisky-soda, once a staple, is gradually giving way to more experimental choices. Cocktails, layered with flavours like citrus, spice, and smoke, are becoming the drink of choice, signalling a shift toward exploration and experience.

According to Bacardi’s 2026 Cocktail Trends Report, consumption patterns are also changing in timing and intent, with drinking becoming earlier, lighter, and more deliberate. “Cocktails in India are about connection. They are emerging as a social ritual, not just a serve,” Golikeri says.

Instead of high-volume consumption, Gen Z is leaning into more intentional drinking patterns. Dasgupta pointed to a visible shift toward moderation, casual social occasions, and what she described as a broader “repertoire” of brands.

“We’re also seeing shifts in behaviour -- more casual and social drinking, moderation, and a broader repertoire of brands. So habits are evolving, but the category remains strong,” she said.

This has direct implications for premium brands like Blenders Pride, which she described as a “destination brand” even for younger entrants. As consumers trade up earlier in their journey, the premium segment stands to benefit disproportionately.

India’s alcohol market is accelerating away from global peers. For the third straight half-year, the country has recorded the fastest growth in total beverage alcohol consumption across 20 major global markets, according to IWSR data cited by The Times of India. Between January and June 2025, volumes rose 7% year-on-year, crossing 440 million 9-litre cases, signalling both rising demand and a rapidly widening consumer base.

Spirits continue to anchor this growth, with Indian whisky maintaining dominance and expanding 7% to over 130 million cases. Vodka grew 10%, rum rose 2%, while gin and genever edged up 3%, pointing to steady but uneven category expansion across the board.

What stands out more than volume is the shift in consumption quality. Premium and above segments grew 8% in both volume and value in the first half of 2025, outpacing the broader market and reinforcing the deepening premiumisation trend. Ready-to-drink formats surged 11%, beer climbed 7%, and spirits rose 6%, while wine remained flat, underlining how uneven the growth story really is.

Within sub-categories, taste shifts are becoming more pronounced. Irish whiskey jumped 23%, agave spirits climbed 19%, while US whiskey declined 10%, reflecting evolving preferences and rising experimentation among consumers. At the same time, Indian single malts are steadily gaining ground against Scotch malts, even as blended Scotch holds firm and flavoured variants expand in segments like vodka and brandy.

Taken together, the numbers point to a market that is not just scaling, but maturing quickly, where growth is increasingly defined less by higher consumption and more by changing consumption.

Blenders Pride's latest campaign, “The One and Only,” is built on a cultural insight that ties closely to Gen Z’s worldview.

“The biggest shift we’re seeing among young India today is that success has become democratised,” Dasgupta said. “Everyone has access to opportunities, platforms, visibility, and validation. But when success becomes more common, standing apart becomes rare.”

In that context, she argues, younger consumers are moving away from traditional markers of success. “Today’s ambitious young Indians are not chasing the old definition of success. They want distinction. It’s not about being louder or richer, it’s about being unmistakable. That’s what the campaign celebrates: distinction, individuality -- the “one and only.”

The campaign, fronted by emerging fashion talent rather than established celebrities, reflects that thinking, placing individuality and self-expression at the centre of aspiration.

For Dasgupta, connecting with Gen Z is less about product claims and more about narrative.

“Stories are what stay with people, not facts,” she said. “Brands are built on stories, and that has always been our endeavour.”

That philosophy has shaped the brand’s long-standing association with fashion and culture, including platforms like Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, as well as its history of identifying talent early, long before they become mainstream names.

Dasgupta brings over two decades of experience across companies like Unilever, Reckitt and PepsiCo, and most recently served as global vice president for Absolut Vodka in Stockholm. There, she led high-profile collaborations such as Absolut Warhol and Absolut Heinz to revive the brand’s cultural relevance.

Now back in India, she is tasked with steering a diverse portfolio, including Blenders Pride, Royal Stag, and international labels, through what she calls a “phase of digital acceleration,” blending creativity with data and cultural insight.

“India today is one of the most dynamic markets in the world, not just economically, but culturally,” she said. “Consumers are more curious, experimental, and aware, which creates a massive opportunity for us.”

At the heart of her argument is a simple but powerful idea: Gen Z is not shrinking the market, it is reshaping it.

As economic growth fuels premiumisation and cultural confidence rises among younger consumers, brands are being forced to evolve, not just in pricing or product, but in meaning.

For Dasgupta, that evolution hinges on staying culturally relevant while remaining aspirational. Or, as her campaign frames it, in a world where success is everywhere, true success lies in standing apart, the “one and only.”


11 April, 2026