“I Want To Be In 100 Airports”:
Radico Khaitan’s Sanjeev Banga on Rampur’s GTR Expansion
“I Want To Be In 100 Airports”:
3 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
Indian whisky is in rapid growth, but it’s not all plain sailing. Despite the challenges, growth in travel retail isn’t just achievable, it’s gaining serious traction..Kristiane Sherry gets a global travel retail update from Radico Khaitan’s President of International Business, Sanjeev Banga.
Radico Khaitan is on a roll. Pre-tax profits climbed by 27.4% to 213.2 INR crore (about US$25m) for the first half of its 2025 financial year. At the same time, net revenues soared by almost 20% to 2,252.8 INR crore (about US$265m). The jewel in the crown – in terms of its premium brands at least – is Rampur single malt.
While there has been spirit produced at the site where Rampur is made – in the outskirts of the city of the same name, about a three-hour drive east of New Delhi – for over 80 years, it was only in 2016 that the first Indian single malt was released.
The category as a whole is thriving. Internationally, consumers can’t get enough. Preconceptions about the quality of world whisky are being shrugged off, and the expressions themselves are becoming increasingly finessed. For Sanjeev Banga, president of international business at Radico Khaitan, this export audience has been critical for the development of the Rampur brand.
“Travel retail is, I’d say, a critical piece in the overall growth of our luxury portfolio,” Banga tells me over a Zoom call. We’re catching up just as Rampur is about to release its Rampur Barrel Blush expression. Finished in Australian Shiraz casks, the fruity single malt was released ahead of Diwali. It joins a line-up of whiskies including the Indian Cabernet Sauvignon-finished Asava, and travel retail-exclusive Trigun, which makes use of ex-bourbon, Champagne and Sauternes casks.
“We are currently in about 40 airports globally, and my immediate target is to touch 100,” Banga continues. “GTR is going to be a focus area for us for the next coming quarters.” The company is back to pre-pandemic levels in the channel, he notes. And a key shift during that time has been the rise of the Indian traveller.
“It’s very pleasing, they are the biggest spenders today as well,” Banga is upbeat. There’s a sense of optimism, he continues. The economy is good, people are spending. “The moment they see Indian luxury brands in the GTR channel, they feel very proud. I’ve always maintained that the Indian diaspora is the biggest brand ambassadors for our luxury portfolio. They love to pick it up for not only their consumption, but the gift when travelling.”
GTR is also providing a mechanism for wider business growth. “It gives us an immediate reach, even if we’re not there in the domestic duty paid market,” he notes. “You can always enhance that with exclusive travel retail expressions, or limited edition ones.”
Another premium spirit in Radico Khaitain’s luxury collection that’s performing well is Jaisalmer Gin. Made using all Indian botanicals (plus European juniper), it’s resonating well with consumers.
Banga believes both Rampur and Jaisalmer have created a “catalyst” for Indian spirits in GTR. “We’ve put the Indian luxury liquor brands on the travel retail map,” he states. But it goes beyond spirits. ‘Brand India’ is trending, he notes, from food and fashion to handicrafts. “Now Indian tea as well is getting into global travel retail. And as India starts producing more and more super premium luxury items, sure they will find their way into duty free as well.”
To illustrate how important GTR has become for the business, just look at export patterns. While the US domestic is Radico Khaitan’s biggest market, travel retail Middle East ranks second. He’s able to lean into this thanks to an uptick in malt production. But it’s not all plain sailing. And while Banga is cautiously optimistic, there are headwinds.
“The geopolitical situation, economic situation is not very rosy,” he notes. Plus, he adds, ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war continue to create uncertainty. This has, however, enabled him to bolster is native Indian market. Up until now, export has been a priority. And in that quest for more GTR locations, he’s casting the net wider, too. Africa and South America are now in the spotlight. “We’re seeding the luxury portfolio,” he confirms. And with the Indian traveller more intrepid than ever, it seems like the world is Radico Khaitan’s oyster.
