New Delhi: Actor Sanjay Dutt has invested in alcobev startup Cartel & Bros, a venture which is looking to import and retail a portfolio of liquor brands into India, executives at the newly founded company said.

The venture’s first product is blended Scotch whisky brand Glenwalk, which the company is importing from Scotland, to be followed by brands of vodka, tequila and single malt, Mokksh Sani, promoter of liquor retail chain Living Liquidz, and one of the five partners of the start-up, said.

Other investors include Manesh Sani also representing Living Liquidz, Jittin Merani of Drinq bar academy, and Rohan Nihalani promoter of Morgan Beverages.

Sani said Cartel & Bros has leased a factory in Scotland and that the company will price its products to make them accessible to allow a larger group of young consumers to consume the brand. “We believe our collaboration has the ability to offer consumers accessible Scotch,” he said.

But alcobev is a challenging business, with complex regulation, multiple state-level taxation and price-control. “Yes it is a regulated market, but regulations exist in every business. We’re looking at a bigger picture, and India is a young country where consumers are willing to experiment,” Sani said.

The development comes at a time when India has been ranked as one of the fastest-growing markets for alcohol sales. The country overtook France to become UK's largest Scotch whisky market in terms of volume, with a 6% hike in imports in 2022 over the previous year, according to Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) data.

The data revealed that India imported 219 million bottles of Scotch compared to France's 205 million last year, growing over 200% in the past decade, fuelled by higher demand for premium whisky, and a growing set of new consumers who want to experiment and innovate.