Most Europeans find it difficult to get used to the hot and humid climate of India. British soldiers from units stationed in the Indian principalities in the mid-19th century longingly remembered their native land and fresh, cold beer. Therefore, the idea of the Englishman Edward Dyer, who built the first brewery in India in 1855, was simply doomed to success. Dyer Breweries advertised its products under the slogan: “Good, like home.” Soon the local population appreciated all the charm of the foreign foamy drink.
Subsequently, Mr. Dyer moved the brewery closer to Shimla, the summer residence of the British military administration, and the old enterprise was converted into a distillery high in the Himalayas, in the city of Kasauli. The current owners of the company claim that even then Dyer began producing rum, which was eagerly bought by English soldiers and officers.
The son and heir of the company's founder, Reginald Dyer, entered military service. He was particularly brutal in dispersing demonstrations in Punjab in 1919. The case became public, which is why Colonel Dyer was forced to resign and go to England. He could no longer go back: the relatives of the people shot on his orders swore revenge. It is known that one of Dyer’s colleagues was found and killed by the avengers in England itself.
Dyer Breweries, left without management and with a damaged reputation, was saved by a merger with the Meakin brewing company. Dyer Meakin Breweries was owned by the British until 1949. After India gained independence, entrepreneur N.N. Mohan bought a controlling stake in the brewery on the London Stock Exchange, which he later renamed Mohan Meakin Breweries. Since 1982 the company has been called Mohan Meakin Limited.
Mr. Mohan created a true family empire and ran it for 20 years. He built several new enterprises, among them a distillery in Ghaziabad. Here, on December 19, 1954, Old Monk rum (translated from English as “Old Monk”), made according to ancient, time-tested recipes, was first presented to the public.
The drink seems unusual to consumers who are accustomed to light, light varieties of Caribbean rum. Aged Old Monk is dark and thick. If you twist the glass with it a little, “tears” will remain on the glass, like from a good Cahors. Old Monk aged 12 years is the slowest to flow down the sides of the glass. Rum is made from natural, environmentally friendly raw materials, without any synthetic additives.
During the entire existence of Old Monk, neither Mr. Mohan himself nor the sons and grandsons who inherited the company spent a single penny on advertising. But the company spares no expense on product quality control and effective packaging. The drink is bottled in good quality bottles with attractive labels, from which a well-fed Buddhist monk smiles cheerfully.
For the convenience of consumers, Old Monk is sold in bottles of 90, 180, 375, 500, 750 ml and 1 liter. The surface of the bottles with the most popular 7-year-old rum is specially made lumpy so that the vessel does not slip out of a hand wet with sweat.
The current head of the company, Mr. Hemant Mohan, claims that such high-quality rum as Old Monk does not need conventional advertising. Anyone who has ever tried the drink will definitely tell their friends about it. By saving on advertising campaigns, the company was able to sell premium rum at the price of regular rum.
One of the most famous fans of The Old Monk is photographer Ian Pereira. For the past 27 years, he has been drinking two glasses of his favorite rum every day, taking a break only twice a year: on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Friends never managed to seduce the master with single malt whiskey, expensive cognac, or even another brand of rum.
Mohan Meakin Limited has participated in an international competition only once. In 1982, the 7-year-old Old Monk Very Old Vatted rum, under the motto “The Drink of the Gods and Rulers of India,” was presented at the Monde World Selections exhibition in Brussels, where it won a gold medal.
Tourists who have visited India, listing all the wonders they have seen and tasted, often mention Old Monk rum. Despite the fact that the drink ranks second in popularity among dark rums, until recently it could only be purchased in the country of production and in duty-free stores.
Old Monk began to be imported into Europe only at the beginning of the 21st century. Even those who don’t like strong drinks like the unusual, velvety chocolate taste of Old Monk: the rum is good both neat and in cocktails.