Mumbai, Nov. 30: Liquor maker Tilaknagar Industries Ltd has begun to taste success in eastern India.

Less than nine months after it acquired the Indian-made foreign liquor brands of IFB Agro, the Dahanukar group is now the leading gin seller in the east.

Its Blue Lagoon gin is the largest selling brand across Bengal, Odisha and Assam.

The company not only reclaimed the market share of this brand, but also ramped up its presence during this period, Laxmi Narasimhan K, deputy managing director of Tilaknagar Industries, told The Telegraph.

The market share of this brand now stands at 47 per cent compared with 21 per cent at the time of the acquisition, company sources said.

United Spirits and other local players have market shares of 26 per cent each.

Tilaknagar Industries, which owns brandy brands such as the Mansion House and the Courrier Napoleon, acquired the IMFL business of IFB Agro for an undisclosed amount in March this year. Vodka brand Volga also came under its fold with the acquisition.

The company is not only looking to consolidate its presence in the east but also enter other states with these brands.

In the east, the company expects sales of the acquired brands alone to rise to half a million cases from 200,000 now over the next 18 months.

“This fiscal the focus will be on strengthening and consolidating distribution and coverage of the brands across the eastern markets. Next year, once the width of distribution is achieved, the focus will be on brand building. Our endeavour will be to increase the category to the next level and to take the brand pan-India,” said Pinaki Sengupta, senior vice-president (eastern business operations), Tilaknagar Industries.

At present, brandy dominates Tilaknagar’s portfolio and accounts for nearly 56 per cent of its sales.

Though vodka and gin contribute nearly 2 per cent, the company feels these segments offer a good opportunity to grow.