Whisky connoisseurs and neophytes alike have an array of options when it comes to sampling a range of brands when dining out. Gone are the days when imported alcohol meant Black Label and Chivas Regal. They’re probably the brands with the best recall, but a host of smaller names are now available in India boasting artisanal production, heritage, provenance or a blend of all three.
Monkey Shoulder is one such whisky that was introduced internationally in 2005. A blend of three Speyside malts — from the Kininvie, Balvenie and Glenfiddich distilleries — it gets its evocative brand name from the condition that the distillery maltmen used to be overcome with: after turning the barley over by hand, the strenuous work caused their arms to hang down like a monkey’s, hence the name Monkey Shoulder.
To introduce the blended Scotch to Indian consumers and bartenders, Dean Callan, the Global Brand Ambassador for Monkey Shoulder was in the city last week after his first visit to the Capital. Monkey Shoulder, unlike your grandfather’s whisky, is not meant to be sipped neat or with a splash of water. Instead, as Callan told us, “We’re kind of quite big on cocktails, we compare ourselves to everything else but other Scotch whiskies.” Callan said, “We want to take people that don’t drink Scotch whisky and introduce them to Scotch whisky.” So the gin or vodka drinker who finds a single malt on the rocks too intense an initiation is welcome to try a cocktail made with Monkey Shoulder instead.
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About his Indian trip, Callan explains, “The first trip — I’ll come and I’ll learn a little bit about the culture here — the drinking style, which sort of cocktails they’re making, what sort of flavours they use.” He injects the example of a bartender here, one who introduced Callan to mango ginger, which he made a whisky cocktail with. Callan said, “The first trip is always a learning experience.”
He encourages the bartenders he meets to make their own cocktails, as then they are more passionate about selling the cocktail to their customers. He also takes availability of ingredients into account, as certain things like maraschino and bitters aren’t retailing in India at the moment.
As far as global trends go, he said, “I think that India’s on par with global trends. It’s a country with a lot of opportunity for Scotch whisky producers. Mostly in luxury whiskies, the very good quality whiskies that everybody else has been enjoying, are becoming more and more popular. One of the difficulties might be the taxes: you’re paying a lot more than some other countries, which makes it difficult. Otherwise, the trend is looking really good.”
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Talk soon turned to the rise of smaller distilleries and brands that the Internet has given visibility to.
When it comes to the younger generations, Callan says they are exposed to a lot of information. “They really want to know what they’re drinking and they want it to be good quality, but they don’t want it to come with too many preconceptions.”
Should there be rules, people will feel stuffy. “I guess this generation — the Millenials — don’t want to be told how to drink something. They want to kind of find their own path.”
The sense of discovery that these brands engender, either through a sense of exploration or word of mouth, drives young consumers to give new brands and drinking experiences a chance.
Callan drew parallels with the craft beer movement, which has exploded across North America and is now growing as more home brewers have access to a range of information and expertise, both online and within large cities.
For those unfamiliar with the taste of whisky, a Monkey Shoulder cocktail then is hopefully a gateway to a new drinking experience, much like this trip is for Callan. And taxes notwithstanding, as Indians drink up, there’s going to be plenty of opportunity for the curious to try out new tipples.