New Delhi, March 17 -- United Breweries Ltd., one of India's largest beer makers, is betting on its premium brands like Kingfisher Ultra to drive growth even as rising taxes in key states, including Telangana, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, threaten to offset a potential boost from a prolonged summer.

After disruptions during the general elections last fiscal impacted production and shipments across the sector, an early and longer summer this year is "going to be more helpful as it will lead to more consumption from a macro standpoint", said Vivek Gupta, managing director and CEO of Dutch parent Heineken-controlled United Breweries. "We are definitely looking forward to having a year with less disruptions."

Since the company was "not able to...