Spirits in Thailand

PROSPECTS

Solid growth lies ahead for spirits

Spirits recorded a modest performance over the course of the review period and the category is slated for a significant acceleration in growth over the forecast period. Sales in spirits are heavily dominated by “other” spirits, with local distilled beverage sura khao the biggest seller.

Japanese whisky and shochu/soju to register higher demand amidst rising interest

Japanese whisky is expected to be the most dynamic spirits category during the forecast period and this is linked to the rising international profile of some of the leading Japanese whisky brands such as Yamazaki, Suntory Kakubin, Suntory Hibiki, Suntory Chita and Yoichi. However, at the end of the review period, sales of Japanese whisky in Thailand were heavily dominated by Suntory Kakubin, leaving considerable room for emerging brands to tap into rising demand.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Thai Beverage targets rising demand among increasingly affluent local consumers

The end of the official mourning period for King Rama IX at the end of October 2017 was the signal for Thai Beverage PCL to launch a new variant of its Ruang Khao brand, the leader in the major category of sura khao. This new offering is Ruang Khao Silver, a premium variant of Ruang Khao that targets the mid- to high-income segment.

International players enter mass price segment to compete with Thai Beverage PCL

2017 saw the two leading foreign-based players in spirits Diageo Moët Hennessy and Pernod Ricard enter the mass price segment with the launch of products that compete directly with Thai Beverage’s local spirits portfolio, specifically the Blend 285 mixed spirits brand. April 2017 saw Diageo Moët Hennessy Thailand launch two new brands: Smirnoff Midnight Max in vodka and Bell’s Blended Whisky in Scotch whisky.

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