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Type | Rum |
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Manufacturer | Mohan Meakin |
Country of origin | India |
Introduced | 1855 |
Alcohol by volume | 42.8% |
Colour | Dark maroon |
Flavour | Vanilla |
Variants | Old Monk Supreme Rum Old Monk Gold Reserve Rum Old Monk extra special XXX rare Rum Old Monk Deluxe XXX Rum Old Monk White Rum |
Related products | Khukri Rum McDowell's No.1 Celebration |
Old Monk Rum is a vatted Indian dark rum, launched in 1855. [1] It is a dark rum with a distinct vanilla flavour, with an alcohol content of 42.8%. [2] It is produced in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and has registered office in Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
There is no advertising, its popularity depends on word of mouth and loyalty of customers. [3] However, in 2013 Old Monk lost its rank as the largest selling dark rum to McDowell's No.1 Celebration Rum. [4] Old Monk has been the biggest Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brand for many years. [5]
Old Monk was ranked 5th among Indian spirits brands at the Impact International's 2008 list of "Top 100 Brands At Retail Value" with a retail value of US$240 million. [6]
It is sold in six size variants: 90 ml, 180 ml, 375 ml, 500ml, 750 ml, and 1 litre bottles. Old Monk had been awarded gold medals at Monde Selections since 1982. [ citation needed ]
In 1855, an entrepreneurial Scotsman named Edward Abraham Dyer, father of Colonel Reginald Dyer set up a brewery in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh to cater to the British requirement for cheap beer. This brewery changed hands and became a distillery by the name of Mohan Meakin Pvt. Ltd. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Old Monk, reportedly a creation of Ved Rattan Mohan, former managing director of Mohan Meakin, [12] [13] was first introduced in India in the 1960s. Colonel Ved Mohan, brother of Kapil Mohan, had been inspired by the serene life of Benedictine monks and the drinks they brewed as they led their ascetic life in the mountains where they lived in content. And hence, the drink got its name. Before Old Monk, there was Hercules rum (still sold) that was distilled exclusively for the armed forces. [14] Superior in taste and perhaps even in quality to Hercules (as loyalists believe), the brand soon became one of the leading dark rums in the world and perhaps the most popular IMFL brand in the country. The affordable pricing strategy has also worked in their favor. [15]
There was a time when Old Monk dominated the rum market. There were other brands also but none came close in quality or popularity.[ citation needed ] About eight million bottles were sold annually. As of 2015, the sales are a quarter of that and they continue to decline. There were recent rumours about Old Monk closing down but its makers, Mohan Meakin Ltd, assured that Old Monk is not going to be taken off market. [16]
Old Monk XXX Very Old Vatted Rum is the original classic Old Monk. All Old Monk Rums variations are dark colored aged blended rums, except the Old Monk White Rum which is filtered to remove color and usually not aged longer hence does not have the barrel's oak flavour.
Old Monk is sold by some retailers in Russia, United States, UK, Germany, Japan, UAE, Estonia, Finland, Qatar, New Zealand, Canada, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Cameroon, Australia, Singapore, Bahrain [17] Malaysia, Cyprus, [18] and Oman