Mohan Meakin is a large group of companies which started with Asia's first brewery incorporated in 1855 by Edward Dyer at Kasauli in the Himalayan Mountains in India under the name Dyer Breweries.
Beer in India has been prepared from rice or millet for thousands of years. In the 18th century, the British introduced European beer to India. Beer is not as popular as stronger alcoholic beverages like desi daru and Indian-made foreign liquor, such as Indian whiskey. The most popular beers in India are strong beers.
Murree Brewery ; PSX: MUREB) is a Pakistani multinational manufacturer of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It is Pakistan's largest and oldest producer of alcoholic products. In 2015, it produced 10 million litres of beer, along with hundreds of tons of single malt whisky, vodka and brandy. Founded by the British in 1860, it is a publicly traded company listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, and its products are exported to India and Bangladesh. In 2014, the company established a flagship store on Park Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City. In 2013, it was named by Forbes as one of Asia's 200 best companies.
Beer in Asia began when beer was produced in Sumer, Mesopotamia circa 6000 years ago. It was introduced by Europeans in the 19th century, with modern breweries established in British India, the Dutch East Indies, China, and Japan. Asia's first modern brewery was established in 1830 in India entirely using European brewing technology.
Kasauli Brewery and Distillery, at Kasauli in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh state of India, was established in late 1920s during the British Raj by Edward Abraham Dyer. It started producing Asia's first beer brand, the "Lion Beer", and India's first single malt whisky, the ""Solan No. 1". Both of these brands are still in production. After the swap of brewery at Kasauli to Solan distillery and vice versa in 1835, presently Lion beer is produced at Solan and Solan No.1 whisky is produced at the Kasauli distillery using some of the original equipment including the copper pot still. The production of Lion beer was moved 25 km east to Solan Brewery at Solan, due to water scarcity, after civilian Kasauli hill station resort town came up around the brewery. Lion beer was originally an India Pale Ale (IPA), but the beer style was changed to lager in 1960s.
As of 2006 most distilled spirits labelled as "whisky" in India were a form of Indian-made foreign liquor, commonly blends based on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion consisting of traditional malt whisky, usually about 10 to 12 percent. Outside India, such a drink would more likely be labelled a rum. According to the Scotch Whisky Association's 2013 annual report, unlike in the European Union (EU), "there is no compulsory definition of whisky in India, and the Indian voluntary standard does not require whisky to be distilled from cereals or to be matured. Very little Indian 'whisky' qualifies as whisky in the EU owing to the use of molasses or neutral alcohol, limited maturation and the use of flavourings. Such spirits are, of course, considerably cheaper to produce than genuine whisky." Such molasses-based blends made up 90 percent of the spirits consumed as "whisky" in India in 2004, although whisky wholly distilled from malt and other grains, was also manufactured and sold. By 2004 shortages of wheat had been overcome and India was one of the largest producers. Amrut, the first single malt whisky produced in India, was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004. After expanding in Europe it was launched in India in 2010.
Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) is the official term used by governments, businesses and media in India to refer to all types of liquor manufactured in the country other than indigenous alcoholic beverages such as feni, toddy, arrack and others.
Royal Stag, also known as Seagram's Royal Stag, is an Indian whisky launched in 1995. It is available in many countries across the world in various pack sizes. It is Pernod Ricard's best selling brand by volume. It is a blend of grain spirits and imported Scotch malts. It is commonly available in 1 L, 750 mL, 375 mL and 180 mL bottles and also available in 90 mL and 60 mL bottles. The brand is named after a species of deer famous for its antlers, that is also featured in its logo. It is produced in several company-owned as well as bottler-owned distilleries. It was the first whisky brand launched in India that did not use any artificial flavours.
Signature, also known as McDowell's Signature, is a brand of Indian whisky, manufactured by United Spirits Ltd (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo. It was launched in 1994. Signature is a blend of imported Scotch whisky and locally produced products. Signature is sold in octagonal bottles which were designed by London-based design firm Claessens International, who also designed the packaging of the bottle. It is available in two variants – Signature Rare Aged and Signature Premier Grain.
Amrut Distilleries Ltd is an Indian company that produces distilled beverages. It is best known for its eponymous Amrut brand of single malt whisky, which is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. The brand became famous after world famous whisky connoisseur Jim Murray gave it a rating of 82 out of 100 in 2005 and 2010. In 2010, Murray named Amrut Fusion single malt whisky as the third best in the world. John Hansell, editor of American magazine Whisky Advocate, wrote that "India's Amrut distillery changed the way many think of Indian whisky - that it was, in the past, just cheap Scotch whisky blended with who knows what and sold as Indian whisky. Amrut is making whisky, and it's very good".
John Distilleries Pvt Ltd is an Indian company that produces distilled beverages, and the company's flagship brand is Original Choice whisky. It also manufactures brandy, whisky, wines, and the award winning single malt whisky called Paul John. The founders have sold 51% of the company to Sazerac Company.
United Spirits Limited, abbreviated to USL, is an Indian alcoholic beverages company, and the world's second-largest spirits company by volume. It is a subsidiary of Diageo, and headquartered at UB Tower in Bangalore, Karnataka. USL exports its products to over 37 countries.
Radico Khaitan Ltd. (RKL), formerly Rampur Distillery & Chemical Company Ltd., is an Indian company that manufactures industrial alcohol, Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), country liquor and fertilizers. It is the fourth largest Indian liquor company. Radico brands are sold in more than 85 countries, including USA, Canada, South America, Africa, Europe, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.
McDowell's No.1 is an Indian brand of spirits manufactured by United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of Diageo. It is USL's flagship brand and the largest umbrella spirits brand in the world, comprising three categories – whisky, brandy and rum. The brand also has bottled water and soda. The brand began with the launch of McDowell's No.1 Brandy in 1963–64. The brand's slogan is No1 Yaari Ka No1 Spirit.
McDowell's No.1 Celebration also known as Celebration Rum, is a rum manufactured by United Spirits Limited of India. In 2009, it was among world's top 3 best selling rum brands. In 2013 it overtook Old Monk as largest selling rum of India. While in 2015 it also overtook Bacardi as world's largest selling rum brand.
Khukri Rum is a Nepalese oak vatted dark rum launched in 1959. Khukri Rum comes in four varieties; Khukri XXX Rum, Coronation Khukri XXX Rum, Khukri White Rum and Khukri Spiced Rum. All variants are matured for a minimum of eight months and have alcohol content of 42.8%. Khukri Rum is produced in Kathmandu, Nepal by The Nepal Distilleries Private Limited and is available domestically in all parts of Nepal.
Pincon Spirit Limited (PSL), formerly Sarang Viniyog Ltd., incorporated in 1978, is an Indian company that manufactures industrial alcohol, Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), country liquor and desi darus. Monoranjan Roy serves as the chairman and managing director of the company. It is listed with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
Ved Rattan Mohan was an Indian entrepreneur and the creator of Old Monk, an iconic vatted Indian dark rum. Born to Narendra Nath Mohan, the founder of Mohan Meakin, he took over the company in 1969 after the death of his father. During his tenure as the managing director, the company expanded to add three distilleries and two breweries and added new lines of business such as breakfast food and juices, glass manufacturing, vinegars, and cold storage. He also introduced, Solan No. 1 and Golden Eagle, two popular liquor brands, besides Old Monk. He was the mayor of Lucknow for two terms and served as a member of Rajya Sabha. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, in 1967. He received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1971.
Mohan Shakti National Heritage Park, also referred to as the Solan Heritage Park, is a modern-era Indian heritage complex in Harat, near Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is about 40 kilometers south of Shimla, about 15 kilometers north of Solan, and 85 kilometers northeast of Chandigarh. Spread over 40 acres of land, it was founded by Kapil Mohan – a retired Brigadier of the Indian Army, a Padma Shree awardee of India and an heir to the liquor-manufacturing family business Mohan Meakin Limited of Solan and Ghaziabad. The site is about 10 kilometers from the Solan "Old Monk" brewery operations of Mohan Meakin. The heritage complex costs around Rs 100 crore to build.
