In September 2026, el Jimador, the tequila brand under US-based Brown-Forman, re-entered India by narrowing to two varieties and three states. Rather than targeting every SKU and every state at once, it is wholesaling just the Silver and Reposado varieties into the three states of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka first — this narrowed-down entry design shows a realistic way to sell alcohol in India, where liquor taxes and distribution regulation differ state by state. It's a living playbook for Japanese liquor and beverage makers thinking about expanding into India.
According to a September 18, 2026 report by Restaurant India, el Jimador began sales in the three states of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka with two varieties: Silver (unaged) and Reposado, aged for two months in charred American white oak barrels. The company says it plans to expand into further markets going forward. Prices (local, tax excluded) are as follows: Silver is INR 4,200 in Mumbai and INR 3,900 in Goa and Karnataka; Reposado is INR 4,600 in Mumbai, INR 4,300 in Goa, and INR 4,200 in Karnataka. Converting at roughly ₹1 ≈ ¥1.66 as of September 2026, that puts Silver at about ¥6,970 to ¥6,470, and Reposado at about ¥7,640 to ¥6,970. The fact that the same product is priced differently by state reflects the state-by-state structure of alcohol taxation.
el Jimador ranks among the world's top 10 tequila brands by sales volume. It is produced at the Casa Herradura distillery in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico, made from 100% blue Weber agave, naturally fermented with no added sugar. Gaurav Sabharwal, Managing Director for India and South Asia at Brown-Forman, said tequila is currently the fastest-growing spirits category in India, showing strong double-digit growth. This is a structure of re-entering a growing category by narrowing focus, backed by a top-ranked brand and a clearly defined production method.
In India, liquor taxes, licensing, and distribution routes vary by state, making it difficult to build a uniform nationwide sales network from the outset. el Jimador chose to enter by narrowing to two varieties and three states. Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka all have strong urban dining demand and bar culture, making them receptive ground for tequila. Keeping SKUs few simplifies inventory and price management, and building a wholesale network and a strong shelf presence in three states first before expanding sideways is a staged design that curbs the risk of selling alcohol in India's complex regulatory environment. The fact that this took the form of a "re-entry" also suggests the target was narrowed again in light of past lessons.
Restaurant India reported this relaunch as a move taking place amid the expansion of India's alcoholic beverage market, and carried Brown-Forman's comment that tequila is the fastest-growing category. Launch events were held in Mumbai on September 8 and Goa on September 10, drawing 140 beverage-industry attendees. Within the scope of the reporting, no sales volume targets or market share figures were disclosed. The brand is putting its narrowed varieties and states, along with its production method and pricing, front and center — a stance of first establishing a foothold in specific markets.
If you're selling alcohol or beverages in India, where regulation differs by state, it's sturdier to narrow down to the states and SKUs you can win and build a wholesale network there, rather than rushing to go national. The pattern of winning through exports from India by leveraging strengths in raw materials or production methods (Basmati rice vodka lands in the UK — a model for winning Indian exports through raw materials) and the move to make the Japanese way of drinking itself the brand's core (India's restaurant scene imports the after-work drink: highballs open a door for Japanese brands) — set side by side, it becomes clear that for alcoholic beverages, the path to winning changes depending on "what," "in which state," and "for which drinking occasion" you place it. Japanese liquor makers should first narrow their target states and SKUs, then build pricing that accounts for state-by-state alcohol taxes and licensing.
For a distilled spirit like tequila, the experience of urban bars and dining out is the entry point for demand. The move by local brands to differentiate with house-brewed liquor (FOO wields its own house-brewed "Japanese rice beer" to set itself apart through drinks) shows how building experiences on the ground at dining venues shapes how far an alcohol brand penetrates. Japanese liquor and beverage makers should also narrow their target states and think through how to partner with local bars and restaurants, alongside their wholesale network design.
el Jimador's narrowing to two varieties and three states showed a realistic way to sell alcohol in India's complex regulatory environment. The fact that the same product is priced differently by state tells us that uniform nationwide pricing can't ignore state-by-state alcohol tax structures. As a next move, Japanese makers considering alcohol or beverages for India should first narrow down to the states and SKUs they can win, and write their plan starting from a pricing design that accounts for that state's alcohol tax and licensing. Expanding sideways from states where you've built a foothold is more reliable than a nationwide push all at once.
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