India drinks more whiskey than any other country in the world. Roughly 230 million cases are consumed here annually, accounting for nearly half of global whiskey sales, according to the International Wine and Spirits Research, the global authority on beverage alcohol data.
But American-made bourbon brands, such as Maker's Mark, have long remained a niche product in India, where whiskey drinkers have traditionally preferred Scotch and domestic brands.
In 2024, India imported just $8.8 million (€8.1 million) worth of US-produced whiskey, a relative drop in the barrel for India.
But that could finally be changing. For years, a 150% import tariff meant bourbon was prohibitively expensive in India, limiting both availability and consumer reach.
Recent US-India trade talks reduced that duty to 100%, significantly improving the economics of selling American whiskey in the world's largest whiskey market.
