Smoke Lab Vodka, a premium Indian vodka brand from grain-based spirits maker NV Group, is eyeing expansion into the UK, Africa, and European markets, alongside plans to reenter Singapore. The company, which counts the US as its largest market, aims to sell 50,000 cases there in FY26, with plans to double that to 100,000 cases the following year.

The New Delhi-based NV Group is a spirits company specialising in the production, bottling, and distribution of premium Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The group’s ‘Made in India’ alcoholic beverages include Smoke Lab Vodka, Stainley Gold, and Blue Moon Gin.

“India is more of a brown spirits market. But the opportunity here is huge. Globally, the biggest vodka market is the US. While the vodka market in India stands at around 1 million cases annually, the US market is significantly larger at 95 million cases per year. Even if we capture just 1 per cent of the US market and expand our footprint there, it would be good for us,” shared Varun Jain, Founder of Smoke Lab.

Majority sales

A majority 60 per cent of Smoke Lab Vodka’s sales come from cities like New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Florida, California, Chicago, Georgia, and Tennessee, with plans of greater penetration in California and Texas and a ramped-up visibility and availability in existing states. The company also has a presence in the Middle East.

Smoke Lab sold over 150,000 cases of vodka in the US over the past three years. “We expect similar volumes to come from Europe, as the Middle East tends to follow European consumption trends,” Jain said. “We are now working to build volume in the Indian market, especially with the Canteen Stores Department. We’ve already sold 6,000 cases through CSD, and the rest of the Indian market is gradually opening up.”

By 2027, Smoke Lab aims to capture at least 30 per cent of India’s premium vodka segment.

The vodka is produced at NV Group’s distillery in Punjab, which has a production capacity of approximately 200,000 litres per day. In addition, the company operates manufacturing facilities in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Goa, with leased units in Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh, and a tie-up facility in Satpuli, Uttarakhand.

On plans for overseas manufacturing, he said , “It’s still early days, as we’d need larger volumes to justify that move. For now, we can manage exports from India. When we hit the required scale, we may consider manufacturing abroad—but the essence of Smoke Lab will remain Indian. If we ever produce overseas, we’ll ship the liquid from India and bottle it there.”

In India, the NV Group aims to expand its presence from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra, Goa, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal by August 2025.

It aims to achieve a 40 per cent growth in ENA global sales volumes over the next 18 months and is looking to triple its international distribution footprint by 2026.

Published on June 24, 2025