Bespoke Whiskies Handcrafted Wines for VVIPs Guests Only

Five-star hotels are stocking their bars with private labels of rare whiskies and fine wines, pushing the indulgence of wealthy clients. They are creating bespoke single malts and are handcrafting wines for a luxury drink. And some are even private labelling the Goan country liquor Feni for a heady mix in their exclusive bars.

The Leela chain of hotels and resorts plans to debut this August with custom-designed wines - collections of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc - procured from California , Italy and Australia. The Lalit would launch its own label of Feni - a local coconut or cashew based drink - at its 255-room Goa property. The Taj and ITC hotels are building their private malt portfolio even as other chains like Park and Oberoi are exploring the high-margin private label business.

The luxury hotels can import spirits and wines without local levies in exchange for their foreign exchange earnings, making private label a compelling business proposition.


Creating a Designer Single Malt

Taj has been scouring Scotland for vintage matured single malt casks (whiskies made of malts from a single distillery) to create a statement for itself. It has splashed out money for a 21-year-old Macallan cask and a 17-yearold Aberlour that are priced at over Rs 3,000 for a 30 ml measure. A cask usually delivers between 250 to 300 bottles , which, in this case, Taj co-branded with the Macallan and Aberlour distilleries.

ITC's voyage with own rare whiskies began sometime ago when it picked up a cask of Glenfiddich dated 1975. The story goes that ITC chose the cask because it was the same year it started hotel business with the launch of Chola Sheraton in Chennai.

"Single malts are a talking point among whisky enthusiasts at our mature drinking bars. And this is where our private vintage whisky comes in, where our sommelier could explain the story behind the aged-single malt, connecting with our guests," said Anil Malik, who oversees the food & beverage of the entire ITC chain that runs over 90 hotels in the country.

Creating an In-house Brand

It is in recent times that the Indian hospitality players have spotted the potential of private-labelling of whiskies and wines. Globally, Four Seasons, the Ritz in London, the Emporium in Australia, among others, have created their own drink labels. "The private labelling of a rare cask is the ultimate luxury for whisky connoisseurs. The 21 year-old Macallan is the only cask of its kind. Even the smaller hotel chains are beginning to look at this segment and are exploring possibilities of splitting a cask," said Sandeep Arora, director, Spiritual Luxury Living.

Luxury hotels have been upgrading their library bar, replacing the low-brow brands with pricey malts, niche vodkas and personalized wines. Not all are looking to create expensive labels; some like Leela want a reasonable and cheerful list of house wines. Some chains are also evaluating to offer custom-labelled wines as souvenirs to guests for their stay at the luxury rooms. "We are talking about exclusive branding that limits others from buying the product," said Sharad Sharma, food & beverage manager at the Leela Palace in Delhi.

Bespoke Services

Hoteliers said they receive requests for customised alcobev for special occasions like birthdays and weddings. "Customising house brands offers an opportunity, adding value to the bespoke services hotels offer," said Cedric Klein-Jochem , executive assistant manager, F&B, at the Oberoi hotel in Mumbai. The Lalit's move to private label Feni - a significant step in upscaling indigenous spirit - shows that hoteliers are becoming innovative in this business.

The hoteliers are adding individuality to their drinks menu at a time they are facing heightened competition from high street resto-bars. F&B is the second largest revenue contributor after room tariffs . On-premises sales at hotels and resto-bars take a large share of the top-end alcobev consumption in the country.

Malik of ITC said the current stock of the 32-year-old malt is almost over, with just five-six bottles left at some of the chain's restaurants. And he will be soon flying of to Scotland along with Sandeep Arora to negotiate a deal for another vintage malt whisky cask. "The source, origin and authenticity of the liquid are key challenges in these single-cask bottling deals, especially at a time when aged malts are getting fewer," explained Arora.

Heady Indulgence

A large share of premium spirits and wine consumption happens in upmarket restaurants and five star hotels tHotels pay no import duty on wines and spirits, and can purchase international brands in return for their forex earnings.

Did You Know

Government rules require every empty bottle to be surrendered to the excise department. The department visits the hotels and breaks the emptied bottles once in six months
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