Liquor major Allied Blenders & Distillers, best known for Officer’s Choice, is on track to deliver mid-double-digit top-line growth for FY26 backed by its premium portfolio of products, MD Alok Gupta said in an interaction with FE. The company hopes to continue this momentum into FY27 and beyond, Gupta said.
Ebitda margins, which stood at nearly 14% in the third quarter of FY26, may see an expansion of 400 basis points by FY28, driven by operational efficiencies and better product mix, Gupta added.
The company’s premium or prestige & above (P&A) portfolio may touch the 50% mark in terms of sales volumes by the fourth quarter of FY26 from 48.5% now, driven by a preference for better products, he said. In Q3, P&A grew by 16.9% year-on-year to 4.4 million cases.
Volume Dynamics Shift
The company’s overall sales volume grew by 1.3% year-on-year to nine million cases in Q3, owing to sluggish sales in the popular segment, which saw a decline of 9.6% to 4.7 million cases.
The company pointed to challenges in the Maharashtra market, where a new liqour category has been created by the state government to promote local spirits, for the volume decline in Q3.
The company is also taking its luxury portfolio under ABD Maestro to international markets, including brands such as Zoya, which is a premium gin. ABD Maestro is present in duty-free retail stores at the Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.
It is targeting at least one additional domestic and one international duty-free partnership over the next two quarters, Gupta said.
International Footprint Growth
At a broader level, the company’s export focus has seen it increase its overall presence to 31 countries, with plans to expand to 35 markets by the end of FY26. “We have opened markets such as the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and France, and we are evaluating setting up a European hub to serve multiple EU markets.
Our single malt (whiskey) distillery at Rangapur in Telangana is expected to be ready by 2029, and the global distribution footprint we are building today will be critical for that portfolio,” he said.
The company, Gupta said, also remains open to acquisitions, both on the brand side and in terms of acquiring manufacturing infrastructure such as distilleries, for expansion. Total capital expenditure stands at under `700 crore, he said, which includes setting up a new bottling plant in Uttar Pradesh.