South India Leads IMFL Sales in FY25; Karnataka Tops National Chart
New Delhi,: South Indian states continue to dominate the Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) market, accounting for 58% of total revenue in FY25, with Karnataka leading at 17% of pan-India volumes, according to data from the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC).
Five southern states—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana—along with the Union Territory of Puducherry, jointly consumed 23.18 crore cases of IMFL in FY25. “South’s dominance is near-absolute, with the rest of India sharing the remaining 42%,” CIABC data showed.
However, on a pan-India level, IMFL whisky sales dipped 1.4% year-on-year to 40.17 crore cases. CIABC Director General Anant S. Iyer attributed the slowdown to a weak first quarter last year, impacted by general elections and excise policy issues in some states. “State levies and policy changes every year affect short- to medium-term sales,” he noted.
Karnataka Leads IMFL Consumption
Karnataka retained the top spot with 6.88 crore cases (17% of national sales), followed by Tamil Nadu with 6.47 crore cases (16%). Telangana and Andhra Pradesh contributed roughly 9% each, with 3.71 crore and 3.55 crore cases, respectively. Kerala recorded 2.29 crore cases, ranking seventh.
The southern region saw overall growth of nearly 1%, with Puducherry reporting a notable 10% increase to 0.28 crore cases.
Other Regional Trends
North: Contributed 20% of IMFL sales. Uttar Pradesh led with 2.50 crore cases (6% growth), followed by Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana at 1.37 crore, 1.18 crore, and 1.17 crore cases, respectively. Overall growth was 1%.
West: Accounted for 12% of sales. Maharashtra led with 2.71 crore cases (58% of regional sales, 4% growth), while the region overall grew 3%.
East: Represented 10% of sales. West Bengal led with 1.49 crore cases (4% growth), followed by Odisha (0.98 crore), Assam (0.96 crore), and Jharkhand (0.32 crore).
Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir saw declines in IMFL sales of 20% and 15%, respectively, while Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Puducherry reported growth of 15%, 13%, and 10%.
Industry Insights
Iyer highlighted strong performance in premium and luxury segments, particularly in whisky, rum, and vodka, with companies increasingly experimenting with premium offerings.
He also flagged challenges, including high taxes, policy changes like Maharashtra’s MML introduction, discrimination against IMFL BIO brands, and unpaid dues in Telangana, all affecting sales.
India remains the world’s largest whisky market by volume and is witnessing continued premiumisation.
