Delhi loves vodka

vIndianz.com (9 Feb, 2010) — New Delhi: The national capital, known as a city of whiskey drinkers, seems to favour vodka and beer of late.

According to figures released by the excise department, reported in The Indian Express said, whiskey consumption reduced from 70 lakh cases sold between April 2007 and March 2008 to 56 lakh cases in the corresponding period in 2009 fiscal (April 2008 to March 2009).

Though marginally, sale of rum has also gone down: from 30 lakh cases in April-December 2007 to 28 lakh cases in the corresponding period in 2009.

Beer sales, meanwhile, rose from 71 lakh cases in April-December 2007 to 91 lakh in 2009.

Wine sales, however, did not pick up as much as the government would have liked.

According to excise department figures, vodka sales are increasing at quite a pace — between April and December 2007, over 13 lakh vodka bottles were sold. For the same period in 2009, city vends saw the sale of more than 20 lakh bottles.

The government recently introduced sale of beer and wine at departmental stores. The lower excise tax on beer and wine, as compared to whiskey and rum, also seems to have contributed to the change in consumption pattern.

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