Radico Khaitan has expanded its international travel retail presence by introducing its premium whisky brands, Rampur Indian Single Malt and Sangam World Malt, at four major UK airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. The move strengthens the company’s efforts to increase the global visibility of Indian luxury spirits.
Indian spirits manufacturer Radico Khaitan is expanding its international footprint by bringing its premium whisky portfolio to duty-free stores across four of the United Kingdom’s busiest airport networks. The expansion gives international travellers access to a selection of the company’s luxury brands, including Rampur Indian Single Malt and Sangam World Malt. The development marks a significant step in the company’s global travel retail strategy, as it looks to introduce Indian whisky to a wider international audience and strengthen its presence in key overseas markets.
According to the company, the newly expanded distribution covers Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham airports. Together, these airports handled more than 170 million passengers in 2025, offering an extensive platform for product visibility among international travellers.
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Rampur and Sangam Strengthen India’s Premium Whisky Presence
The expanded portfolio includes several expressions from Radico Khaitan’s premium whisky range, such as Rampur Indian Single Malt Double Cask, Rampur Asava, Rampur Barrel Blush and Sangam World Malt. The availability of these products at major UK airport duty-free outlets provides the brands with greater exposure to international consumers, including travellers exploring premium spirits from emerging whisky-producing markets.
Radico Khaitan said the expansion makes it the first Indian spirits company to have its brands available across the duty-free networks of all four of these major UK airports. The move also reflects the growing focus among Indian spirits producers on international distribution, premiumisation and travel retail as channels for expanding brand recognition beyond domestic markets.
Four UK Airports Offer Access to Millions of Travellers
The airport expansion gives Radico Khaitan access to a substantial international passenger base. Passenger traffic across the four locations in 2025 highlights the potential reach of the new distribution network.
London Heathrow Airport: Approximately 84.5 million passengers.
London Gatwick Airport: Approximately 42.8 million passengers.
Manchester Airport: Approximately 32.1 million passengers.
Birmingham Airport: Approximately 13.7 million passengers.
With these airports serving millions of travellers annually, the presence of Rampur and Sangam in duty-free retail offers opportunities to build consumer awareness and encourage international buyers to explore Indian premium whisky brands.
Global Travel Retail Becomes a Strategic Growth Channel
Radico Khaitan’s expansion in the UK forms part of its broader ambition to establish Indian luxury spirits in prominent international retail destinations. The company already has a presence in more than 65 duty-free locations worldwide and has set a target of expanding its reach to over 100 locations.
Abhishek Khaitan, Managing Director of Radico Khaitan, said the company’s international ambitions extend beyond increasing the number of airports where its products are sold. The focus, he indicated, is on developing meaningful brand presence and ensuring Indian spirits reach consumers in suitable retail environments. For premium spirits companies, airport duty-free stores offer access to an international customer base and provide an additional platform for product discovery. The channel also allows brands to position their products alongside established global whisky labels.
Rampur Indian Single Malt and Sangam World Malt Expand the Portfolio
Rampur Indian Single Malt is produced at Radico Khaitan’s Rampur distillery, established in 1943. The brand’s portfolio includes expressions such as Double Cask, Asava and Barrel Blush, which showcase different approaches to maturation and flavour development.
Sangam World Malt adds another premium whisky offering to the company’s international portfolio. Its inclusion in the UK airport expansion supports Radico Khaitan’s strategy of developing a broader range of Indian whiskies for overseas markets. Commenting on the international opportunity, Sanjeev Banga, President of International Business at Radico Khaitan, said: “There is a certain charm in taking Indian whisky to the home of Scotch whisky.” He added that the objective was not to ask consumers to choose between Scotch and Indian whisky, but to ensure Indian whisky has a place in the global market.
Premiumisation Supports Radico Khaitan’s International Ambitions
Radico Khaitan’s travel retail expansion comes as the company continues to focus on premium and luxury products. Its Prestige & Above segment accounted for 70.3% of its Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) value in financial year 2026, according to the figures cited in the report.
The company reported revenue of approximately ₹6,050 crore in FY2026, while IMFL volumes increased by 22% to 38.3 million cases. These figures underline the importance of premium brands in the company’s business strategy. By expanding the distribution of Rampur and Sangam across major international airports, Radico Khaitan is seeking to translate its domestic premiumisation strategy into greater overseas brand recognition.
The UK expansion also adds to the visibility of Indian whisky in a market closely associated with Scotch whisky. Wider availability in international travel retail could help introduce more consumers to India’s growing premium spirits portfolio. As Radico Khaitan continues to expand its duty-free network, the presence of Rampur and Sangam at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham represents another step in its effort to build a stronger international identity for Indian-made premium whisky.
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