The first Indian premium dark rum brand, Wild Tiger Special Reserve, is set to enter Chennai and Kolkata airports through a deal with duty free and travel retailer Flemingo International.

Wild Tiger is currently available in duty free at Bangalore and shortly at Mumbai too, with Chennai and Kolkata expected “in the weeks ahead” claims the brand.

Wild Tiger had a trade launch in the UK in November last year and has expanded the domestic markets of seven countries including the US, UAE, Czech Republic and Denmark.

Menon’s tiger-stripe branding has on-shelf presence.

Since the brand’s foray into DF&TR earlier this year, Tiger Air Singapore – which added the product in July – is extending the listing into 2017 on the back of promising on-board sales.

Gautom Menon, the Keralan drinks entrepreneur behind “Asia’s first sipping rum” as he describes it, says of travel retail: “The ‘sixth continent’ is not easy for new brands but we are slowly seeing some favourable results. Tiger Air has worked out great for us and we are soon being listed with one of the largest duty free operator’s in Asia, and also on board two leading full-service air carriers.”

Driving DF&TR sales is Wild Tiger’s novelty factor and tiger-print look, as well as pricing ($23 in Asia). The brand is planning a promotional campaign ‘Roar this Diwali’ for the key Indian festival.