Taste whiskey to toast whiskey

“A beverage of leisure is a serious business” - Jeff Phillips in his book Whiskey Pike: A Bedtime Story for the Drinking Mankind

And whiskey, of all spirits, is a serious leisure and big business in India.

Historically, the supposedly hard drink has been the toast of spirits for Indian connoisseurs, not to forget their obsession with Black Dogs and Red Labels.

Whiskey accounted for 61.2% of India’s total spirits market by volume in 2016.

Now aficionados of the drink -- especially millennials who are starting to drink better and more legit brands -- are looking beyond the traditional ale.

Enter experimental whiskeys, which are coming up with newer flavours, smells, look and feel.

And what better way to develop taste for them other than whiskey tasting sessions.

These sessions are a perfect opportunity for bartenders and brands alike to make the best out of the event, says Nikhil Merchant, a gourmet consultant, food writer and blogger (Nonchalant Gourmand).

''The trend is picking up for bartenders and mixologists, who are getting as famous as chefs with aggressive strategies like a whiskey tasting, knowing the money lies in alcohol rather than just food,” says Merchant.

While the whiskey market has always been growing in India, there is a question mark on the quality of whiskey sold here. A lot of Indian whiskies are actually made from molasses with added flavours and are technically rums.

The premium whiskeys are becoming affordable as a few Scotches and Bourbon are being brought in bulk and bottled in India, which is helping the trade. Whiskey cocktails is also paving the way for more whiskey consumption, says Anish Bhasin, co-founder and CEO at Hipcask, an app and consumer platform focused on wines and spirits.

Demand for interesting cocktails is increasing and most whiskey companies are coming actively forward to organise such events, Merchant said.

Apart from helping mixologist come up with the right mix, whiskey tasting sessions have a lot to give. With more number of brands coming to India, such events keep consumers excited and act as a promotional feast for the two parties. It is occasionally used to add flavour to corporate parties and organisers (restaurants as well as brands) take pride in their beverages, he said.

Cashing on the trend, Bhasin hosts whiskey tasting sessions to bridge this taste gap.

“We host sessions regularly at different venues and they help in engaging with users by offering them a great experience. Whisky and wine tastings for me have been a very big way of learning more about the subject and training my palate to taste better. You always take back a few memories from tasting sessions and often these are what also build brand loyalty,” Bhasin said.

Like everything comes with a cost, so does a whiskey session. “This totally depends on the format, whether it’s a free tasting, or is it hosted along with a brand or is just a marketing activity for us,” he said.

From just being a men's drink, whiskey is increasingly shattering the glass ceiling.

Unlike the usual sweet, floral cocktails made with gins, vodkas or even sangrias, women are blending into the mood.

Hospitality consultant Pooja Vir says, “For me, food and drink has always been about much more than the taste. It is almost always been about the feelings it inspires.” This is dependent on the mood, the setting you are in, and largely with what is happening in your life, she said.

Bowmore Maltmen's Collection (only 3000 bottles produced) marks one among her three favourites. “A lot of malt and treacle on the nose, this one tastes of toffee apples. However, each time I drink it what I enjoy most is the friendship I share with the person who gifted me this.”

Another is Arran malt, Amarone Cask, which has one of the most beautiful colours, is gentle on the palate and has a light taste that dilutes the perception of the spirit, ‘breaking the stereotype of the harsh drink, generally taken on the rocks’. Another is Compass Box Hedonism. “I can fortunately afford it more easily now but each time I sip it I always go back to that feeling of pure decadence I experienced when I sipped it for the first time in my cold London flat.”

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) last year said India has established itself as the third-biggest export market for Scotch at 41 million bottles, marking a 41% increase sales volumes, after France (90.9 million bottles) and the US (53.1 million bottles).

And Vir, who is a part of Whiskey Ladies, a bunch of women who set out together to explore newer tastes every month, credits the availability to be the biggest factor driving the consumption.

“We can to disrupt how people discover drinks, offers and the overall drinking experience, specially at restaurants. Hipcask App is also intelligent and with our proprietary algorithms and artificial intelligence, we can really change the way people decide which brand to drink,” Bhasin said.

Indian whiskies also occupy seven of the top 25 fastest growing spirit brands, according to a recent study carried out by International Wine and Spirit Research, a London-based industry firm, with another five brands in that group focusing on India as their key market.

While whiskey has always been pre-dominant among menfolk, wine has been another one catching. Also, another spirit that is trending is gin: many big-brands are soon to launch in India.

Wine has made its mark. Is whiskey there yet?

Not really for the consumption market is complex, says Merchant. “In India, diners don't readily accept spirits, going by their traditional choices. They often think themselves to be the know-it-all of what they are drinking, and fall prey to their ego. Hence, whiskey tasting might not do well.”

If not it, what can? Whiskey flights, Merchant says, adding that doesn't really come at a cost and is a serving of about 15-25 ml. “While a 21-year-old scotch might cost Rs 1,500 for a 30 ml peg (Rs 2,800-3,000 for a 60 ml), a flight would cost Rs 700-900 less than the usual pegs, thus helping consumers make an informed decision out of a decent selection of 3-4 whiskeys.”

Also, there are several myths and stigmas attached to the beverage. “There are so many myths with whiskies and we are happy to bust them one at a time. The two most common ones are that Single Malt Whiskies are better than Blended Whiskies and that the higher the age of the whiskey, the better it is. Often whiskey blends can be more balanced and rounded than single malt whiskies, Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Ballantine's 17 are great examples of these. The age of the whisky will of course define its overall flavour and character, but it does not mean that the older the age, the better. I have tasted a lot of whiskies over 18 years old which seem overwhelmed with oak flavour. Whiskies ageing in hotter climates than Scotland also age a lot faster, making it even tougher to draw comparisons purely on their age,” Bhasin said.

While Hipcask was just a hobby project for the photographer-turned-connoisseur, it turns out Bhasin wants this to be a breakthrough from the traditional source of information-- magazines--to find what is right for us all.

Talking on the trajectory, Bhasin said consumers today have the disposable income to spend on F&B and the market would grow when we can better educate them on the available choices. More and more people are also becoming more discerning, and might want to enjoy one or two great drinks rather than 4 average ones. Engaging with users at the right time and educating about them about what they are drinking would surely help in growth.

Hipcask, which has over 30,000 users and reaches over 2,00,000 users over social media each month-- totalling to over 15,000 beverages being consumed via Hipcask Passports-- is a

Hipcask’s main revenue model is selling Hipcask Passports. Secondary revenues include events and sponsored content. ?A little overlapping with the first question. Consumers today have the disposable income to spend on F&B and the market would grow when we can better educate them on the available choices. More and more people are also becoming more discerning, and might want to enjoy one or two great drinks rather than 4 average ones. Engaging with users at the right time and educating about them about what they are drinking would surely help in growth, Bhasin said.

“There are pain points on both sides, consumers and brands. For consumers, there is still very limited credible recourses to learn more about wines, beers & spirits, get recommendations, see reviews etc. Along with that, the two places where a consumer spends money, a wine shop and restaurants, both usually have staff that does not know much wines, beers and spirits. ?

For a user we are that discovery platform and along with Hipcask Passports, you additionally save every time you drink.

"Brands on the other hand have no direct way of engaging with consumers besides the usual print collateral and maybe a few activations. With Hipcask they can engage with users in a direct way and also ensure that their marketing spends have a better ROI and directly result in trails and consumption," he says.

Hipcask raised a seed of $50,000. Mobikon picking up the major stake along with Bold capital, other angel investors included Rajesh Sawhney, Japan Vyas, perk.com's founder Roj Niyoji. “We are closing a pre series round of 500k USD and then a larger Series A round next year end,” Bhasin said.

IN HIGH SPIRITS

• Apart from helping mixologist come up with the right mix, whiskey-tasting sessions have a lot to give  
• With more brands coming to India, such events keep consumers excited and act as a promotional feast for the two parties