Drinks giant Diageo bringing back Christian Brothers Brandy

BANGALORE: Global drinks giant Diageo is bringing back Christian Brothers Brandy, which faced a backlash from the church in the southern states before going off shelves, for tapping the renewed growth in the domestic brandy sales, sources said.

Christian Brothers was part of Diageo���s launch portfolio in India during the mid-90s and created quite a stir in the southern markets where the brandy flavour accounts for bulk of the liquor sales.

But Diageo, formerly UDV, pulled out the brand in the wake of a controversy, with the church, especially in Kerala, calling for a ban on the brandy that used religious name and symbols.

Diageo is now pushing for a price approval for the brand in Tamil Nadu, which is yet to be cleared by the state government. Diageo is seeking introduction of Christian Brothers in Tamil Nadu through a tie-up with the local MGM distillery, a company source added.

Interestingly, Diageo has no plans to re-launch the brandy in Kerala. In between, Diageo had sold Christian Brothers Bandy to the US-based Haven Hill Distilleries, and the current move to revive the brand in India may be through a licensing arrangement.