Thread by @realnitsin

The story of the iconic rum brand from India which has a dominating presence not only in India but globally as well - Old Monk!

A thread on #oldmonk (1/10)

The story behind Old Monks starts in 1855 in the quant hill town of Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh when a man named Edward Dyer sets up a Brewery which later merged with Meakin and co. ltd in the early 1900s to form "Dyer Meakin Breweries" (2/)

The brewery started by making beers and supplying it to the British army and defense canteens. 2 years after independence, the company was acquired by Narendra Nath Mohan and renamed to "Mohan Meakin Brewries" which went on to launch the star product of Old Monk in 1954 (3/)

The drink took inspiration from Benedictine monks and the liquors they produced in Europe, and was created by maturing in oak vats for 7 years and infused with spices called Old monk as a tribute to them (4/)

In a few years of its launch the drink became an absolute hit in India and across the world alike. Within 50 years of its launch, Old Monk became the leading rum in the whole world. It became a revolution and at its peak its sold about 8 Mn bottles annually! (5/)

It earned several accolades in various parts of the world and got crowned as the best selling rum. For over 60 yrs now, the product hasn’t changed. The bottle’s shape and design have remained exactly the same, as has its taste which is absolutely loved by its devotees (6/)

Even today, no drink can quite handle Indians like Old Monk. It cuts across all social strata. Rickshaw pullers to millionaires, diplomats, truck drivers, students, journalists and businessmen, all alike & is lovingly regarded by many as the “National Drink of India”(7/)

With time, there was an addition to the family (Gold reserve & supreme) of Old Monk in addition to the original. You would be surprised to know that there's an old Monk beer as well and is apparently sold only in Goa! (8/)

The brand comes easy on pocket & has a great sentimental value amongst the crowd, the popularity can be judged from the fact that it never had to advertise for since its inception and still is one of the most well know liquors in the country, equally across all age groups (9/

However, with advent of other brands like Mcdowells , Bacardi and increasing popularity of other liquors like Single malt, Gin etc. the brand has taken a hit when it comes to its sales but it still does continue to hold a special place in people's heart and is truly a legacy!(10)