About

INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS AND WINES ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

The International Spirits & Wines Association of India (ISWAI) is a representative body of the national and international premium spirits & wine brands in India. Founded in 2004 and promoted by multinational alcoholic beverage companies, the association serves as an interface between the industry & stakeholders, providing a collective viewpoint on all aspects of the alcoholic beverages business.

ISWAI members include global leaders in both the spirits and wine industries, like Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Campari Group, Diageo-United Spirits, John Distilleries, Moet Hennessy, Pernod Ricard, Suntory Global Spirits and William Grant & Sons. Together ISWAI members account for a substantial part of the revenue generated from spirits & wine beverages across the country.

ISWAI leads a focused effort to elevate industry standards, highlight the industry’s perspective on government policy, and encourage meaningful conversations between all stakeholders to create a win-win situation for all. Through their programmes, ISWAI and its members also aim to improve public awareness and enhance the general understanding on matters relating to responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages.

We contribute towards the development of economy

India is the third-largest market for spirits
Estimated AlcoBev market size is $55bn
Sector significant contributor to state revenue; for some states, Excise revenue accounts as high as 50% of own tax revenue
Our sector employs over 20 lakh people directly & indirectly, firmly believe in diversity
Sector plays an integral role for Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industry
Agriculture, Packaging and Logistics industries are benefited by the AlcoBev sector
Industry played a significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic – including sanitiser production and distribution
ISWAI members are committed to making a positive impact on the environment under guidelines like UN Sustainable Development Goals and COP26

MISSION

To transform the Indian Spirits & Wines landscape via premiumisation, compliance and responsible consumption.

To encourage positive and progressive outlook among stakeholders.

To work towards improving industry reputation and building a supportive and harmonised policy environment that enables member companies to prosper in India.

ISWAI GOVERNING BODY

CO-CHAIRPERSONS

Praveen Someshwar

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, DIAGEO India

Jean Touboul

Chief Executive Officer, Pernod Ricard India

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Vinay Golikeri

Managing Director, India & Neighbouring Countries

Bacardi India Pvt. Ltd.

Gaurav Sabharwal

Managing Director, India & South Asia

Brown Forman

Shivam Misra

Managing Director – India & The Sub Continent

Campari India

Nitin Kumar

General Manager & Country Head – India & Subcontinent

Jägermeister

Sridhar Pongur

Chief Operating Officer

John Distilleries Pvt. Ltd.

Siddhartha Suri

Managing Director

Moet Hennessy India

Neeraj Kumar

Managing Director, India

Beam Global Spirits & Wine India Pvt Ltd

Kartik Mohindra

Country Director, India

William Grants & Sons

ISWAI TEAM

Sanjit Padhi

Chief Executive Officer
Email:- sanjit@iswai.in

I P Suresh Menon

Adviser- Tax & Regulatory Affairs
Email:- sureshmenon@iswai.in

Parvinder Singh

Regional Director
Email:- parvinder@iswai.in

Ram Swarup Mohapatra

General Manager – Public Policy
Email:- ramswarup@iswai.in

Chandreyee Gogoi

Communications Director
Email:- chandreyee@iswai.in

Mala Kaul

Email:- mala@iswai.in

WHAT WE DO

TRADE & TAX

India is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, growing about 12% CAGR for the decade starting 2001. The global status report on alcohol and health released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2018 shows that, from 2005 to 2016, the per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages in India has increased from 2.4 litres to 5.7 litres. By 2025, India is expected to be the third largest consumer economy for alcoholic beverages, as the consumption is expected to triple to USD 4 trillion.

Due to the nature of the product and the revenue involved, alcohol for human consumption is subject to regulation by state governments. All entities involved in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages are subject to different approvals and licences for business operations, in their respective states. Despite the emphasis on improving ease of doing business in India, the industry continues to face a myriad of restrictive policies and complex, excessive regulation.

ISWAI engages with relevant stakeholders in shaping the regulatory framework and taxation policies across the Indian States, and work towards the creation of equitable, fair and non-discriminatory policies for market access, both tax and non-tax matters. Such engagements are based on representations and discussions, supported with data, logical reasoning and examples from both the domestic and international arena.

INDUSTRY ISSUES

The production of alcohol for human consumption (being a state subject) is taxed as per individual states’ Excise act. Rules and standards by State Excise department, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, The Legal Metrology Act and Bureau of Indian Standards regulate the AlcoBev sector. There is considerable scope to simplify processes for ease of doing business in the industry. Different tax regimes, price determination models, regulations, and levels of openness has resulted in India having 36 different markets for alcohol industry.

On behalf of its members, ISWAI raises issues with all stakeholders to strengthen the industry framework so as to facilitate business to be carried out in a fair, ethical and transparent manner and create a win-win situation for all stakeholders, regulators, industry and trade.
ALCOHOL & HEALTH

ISWAI believes that alcohol should be consumed in a responsible manner and in moderation. To this end, ISWAI works to enhance the general level of awareness concerning the responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages, thereby encouraging people to adopt a culture of ‘Drink Less and Drink Better’. Below links provide valuable information on issues related to alcohol & health.

Drink Responsibly http://drinkresponsibly.in/
Your relationship with alcohol https://www.drinkiq.com/en-in/
Responsible Drinking https://www.alcbev.info/
Alcohol Education Guide http://alcoholedguide.org/
Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibly https://www.responsibility.org
Educational Toolkit on beverage alcohol http://www.alcoholtoolkit.org

DRIVE INDUSTRY REPUTATION

ISWAI strives to transform the Indian spirits and wines industry by upholding the highest level of transparent and ethical business practices, hence building industry credibility.
IMPROVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

ISWAI encourages meaningful dialogues with all stakeholders to facilitate ease of doing business and create a level playing field. We aim to serve as a platform to share & exchange knowledge on industry best practices and bring in highest standard of quality, technical processes, and ways of working.
GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE

ISWAI members are committed to maintaining the highest standard of compliances & adherence to the laws of the land in all aspects of their operation.