India's nostalgic, favourite Rum - Old Monk and it's history

The brand that we all love straight from the heart, a preference of the masses and also popularly referred to as the ‘National Drink of India’. Today we are on the road to uncover the history of the biggest Indian Made Foreign Liquor brand, Old Monk.

Secured inside the same bottle in shape and size since 1954, this dark rum still tastes the same —of memories and a little bit of vanilla, raisins, and other spices.

THE JOURNEY

The brand that needs no advertising and is sold mostly for its word of mouth, did actually come into existence because of the blood relation of the man responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. In 1855, an entrepreneurial Scotsman named Edward Abraham Dyer, who’s the father of Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, set up a brewery in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh to cater to the British requirement of cheap beer. However, that wasn’t when Old Monk was conceptualized. The brewery initially sold “Lion”, touted to be Asia’s first beer.

Over the years, the company went through multiple names and ownership changes, from Dyer Meakin breweries to ultimately when the brewery changed hands and was rechristened as a distillery by the name of Mohan Meakin Pvt. Ltd. in 1949 under the ownership of Narendra Nath Mohan.

Mohan then moved the business to an industrial hub called Mohan Nagar in Ghaziabad, and diversified into breakfast foods, fruit juices etc. But its star project was introduced in December 1954 by his son Ved Rattan Mohan, a retired Indian army colonel who took over the company as its managing director after his father’s death in 1969.

?HOW THE NAME CAME INTO EXISTENCE?

?Colonel Ved Mohan, after a visit to Europe, had been inspired by the serene life of monks and the drinks they brewed as they led their ascetic life in the mountains, where they lived in contentment. And hence, he introduced a drink matured in oak vats for seven years and infused with spices and gave the name- Old Monk, as a tribute to them.

?THE STRUGGLES

?After the death of Ved Mohan, his brother, Kapil Mohan, who is the better-known face of Old Monk took over the company’s gear.

Under his leadership,the drink became the country’s largest-selling liquor brand.

?However, the brand had its share of downfalls. With the liberalization in 1991, when many domestic brands reinvented themselves, Old Monk was complacent with its success and did not innovate.

?Moreover, due to a shift in marketing, with advertisements being flashed upon everywhere, Ved’s confidence in his brand made him follow a non-promotional strategy and the classic dark rum dipped down to a five per cent market share.

?McDowell’s Celebration Rum, who was selling half the volume initially, took over Old Monk by 2005. From a PAT of Rs2.25 crore in 2005 to registering a loss of Rs.20 crore in 2014, the company has gone through a lot.

One of the major reasons behind this was that Old Monk did not understand the trend of youth moving towards lighter spirits and being more concerned about premium brands rather than affordability.

YOUNG BLOOD PLANNING A STRATEGIC REVIVAL ?

Brothers Hemant and Vinay Mohan took over the charge of Mohan Meakin Breweries after their uncle and a legend Brigadier Kapil Mohan passed away in 2018.

In the last 3-4 years they gave new launches. The launch of Old Monk Gold Reserve, Old Monk Supreme, and a range of limited editions positioned the brand in the premium category. The purpose was two-fold. One was to increase the sales which it did, and second to position the brand in the eyes of those millennials who are shy of drinking Old Monk for its affordable image.

In October 2018 the brand also launched Old Monk in the Ready to drink category with some interesting flavors. Old Monk Orange Rum, Old Monk Lemon Rum, Old Monk Apple Rum, Old Monk White Rum, Old Monk Cola, Old Monk Cranberry, and Old Monk Mojito are some of them. The strategy was to challenge Bacardi’s Breezer and capture market share to enhance its revenue.

?FUTURE PLANS

The company is restructuring its distribution channels and bottling facilities.

They also plan to launch and relaunch a portfolio of ten new products over the next few months- from oats, choco-fills, chocolate flakes, muesli and poha.

Additionally, the company aims to achieve a record high sales of around 10 million units of Old Monk in 2022.