Allied Blenders and Distillers Limited (ABD), India’s largest domestic spirits company by volume, has appointed Martin Leonard, a globally renowned Scotch whisky specialist, as Consultant to advise on its single malt whisky foray and the commissioning of its upcoming malt distillery.
With over three decades of experience in the global Scotch whisky industry, Martin Leonard brings deep expertise across distillation, maturation, blending, bottling, and supply chain operations. He previously served as Managing Director of Inver House Distillers, where he oversaw five single malt distilleries in Scotland and managed whisky inventories exceeding 600,000 casks.
Martin has also held leadership roles as Chairman of the Scotch Whisky Research Institute and is a recipient of the prestigious Master of the Quaich honour. His earlier career includes senior positions at United Distillers (now Diageo) and BAT plc. As Consultant, he will work closely with ABD’s leadership and technical teams to guide the long-term development of its single malt business, with a focus on strengthening manufacturing capability and process quality.
The construction of ABD’s single malt distillery at Rangapur, Telangana, is currently underway and is expected to be commissioned by Q4 FY26. The project forms part of ABD’s broader backward integration strategy, which includes PET bottle manufacturing (commissioned in Telangana in September 2025) and ENA distillation capacity expansion in Maharashtra.
The Rangapur facility, being developed with an investment of approximately ?75 crore, will have a planned capacity of around 4.0 MLPA, catering to current blending requirements and future single malt whisky production.
Commenting on the appointment, Alok Gupta, Managing Director, ABD, said that Martin Leonard’s extensive experience in malt whisky production and large-scale operations will play a critical role in building a high-quality, sustainable single malt portfolio aligned with the company’s long-term growth ambitions.
Martin Leonard said he looks forward to contributing his experience at a pivotal stage of ABD’s growth and supporting the development of a robust single malt whisky business in India.
The appointment marks a key milestone as Allied Blenders and Distillers advances into the next phase of its premium and single malt whisky strategy.