Pernod Ricard Korea is looking to overtake its main competitor Diageo Korea in Korea’s whiskey market with an all-new look for the French distilled beverage giant’s flagship “Imperial” brand.

The Korean unit’s CEO Jean-Manuel Spriet said Wednesday that it has renewed Imperial’s design in a diamond-like shape with anti-forgery features embedded in its bottle caps with the aim of “closing the gap” with its rival in Korea.

The key strategy to grab a bigger slice of the market, despite the whiskey downturn, is the “modernity and innovation” of its product to meet the highest expectations of modern Koreans, the chief executive said.

Pernod Ricard Korea already dominates the clear spirits sector thanks to its global top-selling Absolut Vodka, whereas Diageo has yet to establish itself in the space.

This would give the French spirits and wine maker enough leverage to claim whiskey leadership not only by focusing on beefing up Imperial but also other brands in its global portfolio, including Chivas Regal and Ballentine’s in the Korean market, it said.

Pernod Ricard Korea’s Imperial 12 Years, the best-selling whiskey brand in Korea, was able to gain a more than 2 percent market share, reaching 27.2 percent in the 12-year category last year, even while the whiskey market contracted by 12.5 percent.

The French company overall has a market share of 34.6 percent in the local whiskey sector, compared to Diageo’s 37.2 percent.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)