Fans of Old Monk are aghast. A recent report indicates that sales of the much-loved Indian dark rum brand, once a market leader, are dropping, and are down to 4 million cases a year, down from twice that in 2002.
Social media is abuzz with fans exhorting each other to ‘drink more’. So, what makes OMR so special?
1. Old Monk is a dark rum, distilled from molasses, blended and aged for seven years. It comes in a distinct squat bottle with an image of a balding monk on the label.
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2. Old Monk is over 50 years old, being produced by Mohan Meakin in UP.
3. It has been the top-selling Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) brand for decades.
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4. Fans of this brand don’t drink or say ‘Rum’. It’s always Old Monk. Old Monk is also fondly referred to as ‘Budha Sadhu’, a direct translation.
5. Old Monk has inspired poetry. Internet poet Glenn Satur has penned a verse which goes like this…
For Seven years you’ve been blended to a taste so fine. You’ve always been around for us at any time. A good companion, who comes at a very low price. You bring people together from sunset to sunrise. We bang on the shutters for you when the shops are closed by night. We care a damn if we are unable to get a coke or sprite.
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7. Old Monk has its own fan club in Mumbai. It’s known as COMRADES — Council of Old Monk Rum Addicted Drinkers and Eccentrics.
8. Old Monk represents India in Suzuki Chairman Osamu Suzuki’s private collection of the best liquour from all the 192 countries in which Suzuki is present.
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9. Old Monk does not spend on advertising and has certainly never indulged in surrogate advertising.
10. Old Monk can be had many ways – neat, with water, soda and cola. Now bartenders are also making cocktails with it.
11. Old Monk is for everyone – from chefs to airline crew, youngsters, senior citizens, army people.
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12. Old Monk is cheap.
13. Some people believe Old Monk with a splash of hot water is good for coughs and colds. It may not cure, but it certainly lifts the mood.
