Allied Blenders and Distillers appoints Alok Gupta as MD

New Delhi: Liquor company Allied Blenders and Distillers Limited (ABD) on Tuesday said it has appointed Alok Gupta as the company’s managing director.

Shekhar Ramamurthy will continue to play a key role on the board as the executive deputy chairman of the company, ABD said in a statement on Tuesday. ABD sells Officer’s Choice whisky.

Gupta has over three and a half decades of experience across industries. He spent 13 years at liquor major—United Spirits. Gupta has also worked at the Essar Group, where he led business across sectors such as retail, technology, and services. He has also worked at coffee chain Cafe Coffee Day and liquor company Whyte & Mackay.

In FY22, Allied Blenders and Distillers’ revenue from operations stood at ₹7,196 crore, with a profit of ₹5.93 crore. During the year, the company sold 28.62 million cases of alcohol; it has a share of 7.4% in the India-made foreign liquor industry, according to the company’s annual report for the year. The company sells mass market brands such as Officer’s Choice whisky, Jolly Roger Rum, Officer’s Choice and Kyron brandy. Today, its network includes 10 owned bottling units, one distilling unit and 22 non-owned manufacturing units.

Mint had recently reported that the liquor company is eyeing a stock market listing work for which is on track. The company is also planning to expand beyond the whisky and brandy segment to enter craft and other white spirits, Mint reported.ABD commands a large share in the whiskey and brandy market in India, competing with rivals such as USL. For instance, in FY22 Officer’s Choice whisky sold 17.72 million cases.