``We have reintroduced Officer's Choice in the West Asian market after a gapof five years for the Indian expatriate population and we want to ensure afoothold first,'' Chopra added.

The same expat Indian population is being wooed by BDA in all the marketswhere it plans to export Officer's Choice. Chopra says: ``While our shortterm objective is to reach the shelf, in the long run we have to win thehearts of millions of Indians abroad.'' The total annual West Asian marketfor India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is around 7,00,000 cases. BDA islooking at countries like United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Bahrain. Thetargets in other regions include Taiwan, Malaysia and Philippines.

In 1998-99 BDA has notched up sales of 2.5 million cases of Officer'sChoice. The export drive is a part of the consolidation phase for the brandafter it suffered great reverses while BDA was coming out of the ShawWallace umbrella with the brand. In India the brand now commands a 12 percent share of the regular whiskey segment, according to Chopra.

The February issue of the Drinks International Bulletin published fromLondon has ranked Officer's Choice as the third fastest growing regionalspirit with a 21.65 per cent growth in 1998, over 1997. UB Group'sMcDowell's No 1 is at the second spot behind Japanese whiskey Suntory Red.In the list of the World's top spirits in terms of sales, Officer's Choicewas ranked 48th by the same magazine. Other Indian spirits ahead ofOfficer's Choice are the UB Groups's Bagpiper whiskey at 14, Shaw Wallaces'sDirector's Special at 26, and UB Groups's McDowell's No 1 whiskey at 27 andMcDowell's No 1 Brandy at 44.

Whiskey accounts for 65 per cent of the IMFL market at 36 million cases.Brandy is the next popular drink with a share of 18 per cent and rum has 12per cent share in the total market. White spirits like gin, vodka, whitespirits have another five per cent. The Officer's Choice brand was launchedin 1989 and suffered a major setback during the tussle over it between ShawWallace and BDA. Sales declined during the period 1993-95 and even twodifferent blends were being marketed under the same brand name for a period.Thereafter BDA relaunched the original blend in a new packaging and stresswas laid on having bottling facilities all over the country. The bottle withthe umbrella design was also introduced for the relaunch--it was theproverbial old spirit in a new bottle. Today the brand is bottled at 12facilities all over India. A company spokesman at Calcutta claimed thatOfficer's Choice is already the largest selling whiskey in the regularsegment in the eastern part of the country which has seen a 53 per centgrowth in sales in 1998-99 totalling 9,00,000 cases.

Says Chopra: ``In the eastern region we could match the growing demand byensuring stable supply through local sources. I am sure our sales team willbe able to scale new heights in the current year too.''