France’s Belvedere Group will start manufacturing Sobieski vodka, William Peel whisky, Moncigale wine and Marie Brizard cordials in India next year through local distribution partner NV Group. Sobieski will be distilled at the NV Group’s distillery in Haryana — the first location outside of the Balkan region where the brand will be produced.

These brands, which have been present in India only through the duty free channel for the last two-three years, will be locally distilled under an initial investment of €2 million.

The firm plans to challenge Smirnoff, the largest selling premium vodka in India, with Sobieski, which is the sixth ranked vodka globally, just below its price points of Rs 450 (750 ml) to target a share of 20 per cent in India’s 7 million per year vodka market within the next one year. “Sending finished goods wouldn’t have given us a good start here and so we’ll start local manufacturing. We want to capitalise on young drinkers,” general director Belvedere Krzysztof Trylinski said.

Trylinski said Belvedere Group will reach a global turnover of $1 billion this year. Belvedere Group, which sold its flagship Belvedere Vodka to the LVMH Group in the early 2000s, sells its brands in over 57 countries across the globe. Its biggest markets globally are France, Poland and USA.