Italy-based Altamura Distilleries has added Australia to its roster of international markets.

The company, headquartered in Puglia in southern Italy, is entering Australia with its vodka and focusing first on the country’s on-premise market. It will also seek to target “boutique retailers”.

Altamura Distilleries said its namesake vodka will be distributed by Aperitivo & Co., initially in Sydney and Melbourne. It will be sold at an SRP of around A$90 to A$99 ($59 to $65).

“We see Asia as an area of high growth for us and Australia as one of the key countries in the market,” Altamura co-founder Frank Grillo told Just Drinks.

“Australia has a vibrant and innovative cocktail scene. We see the opportunity for a vodka like ours with a unique provenance and taste profile to be very successful, especially in the hands of some of the most creative mixologists in the world.”

GlobalData, Just Drinks' parent, forecasts that, by 2028, Australia's vodka market will be seeing CAGR value growth of almost 8% and volume growth of more than 5%.

The launch means Australia is Altamura Distilleries’ tenth market. Its largest are Italy, the UK, the US – where it is present in nine states – and India.

The company entered India in February, again with the launch of its eponymous vodka.