0 KINGFISHER BEER

Kingfisher beer is an Indian beer brewed by United Breweries Group. The brand was launched in 1978. With a market share of over 36%, it is India's largest selling beer, with 1 out of every 3 bottles of beer sold in India being a Kingfisher brand. It is currently available in 52 countries outside India.

Heineken Group, holds 37.5% equity shares in United Breweries Ltd.

Kingfisher comes in the following varieties:

Brands

• Kingfisher Premium
• Kingfisher Strong: The brand was launched in 1999 to cater to the growing strong beer segment in the country. Today, Kingfisher Strong is India’s largest selling beer brand. It is available in 4 SKUs- 650ml & 330ml bottles and 500ml & 330 ml cans.
• Kingfisher Strong Fresh: Kingfisher Strong Fresh is the first ever strong draught beer available in the Indian market. It is packaged in a 500 ml cans.
• Kingfisher Draught: It is packaged in a 500 ml cans.
• Kingfisher Ultra: It was launched in Mumbai on 18 September 2009. It is an entry in the premium beer segment in the country to compete with international players like Carlsberg, Heineken and Budweiser. Kingfisher ULTRA is available in Thane, Pune and Bangalore and will be extended to other cities of the country soon. Currently, Kingfisher ULTRA is available in two SKUs: 650ml and 330ml bottles.
• Kingfisher Blue: The brand’s core target group is the young male population. Kingfisher Blue tries to occupy an imagery of adventure sports. It contains under 6% alcohol. Kingfisher Blue is packaged in metalized blue color labels and cans. It is available in 4 SKUs- 650ml & 330ml bottles and 500ml & 330 ml cans. The brand has been launched in key markets like Karnataka, Pondicherry, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Kolkata and will soon be a national brand.* Kingfisher Red: It is marketed as India’s 1st ‘ALL SEASON’ beer.
• Kingfisher Bohemia: Unlike the above, Kingfisher Bohemia is a brand of wine. It is the result of a partnership between Kingfisher and The Company of Wine People (COWP), a key player in the South African wine industry, both locally and abroad. The wine is produced in Cape Floral Kingdom, South Africa. Kingfisher Bohemia is available in three varieties – red, white and rosé. It is packaged in 750ml bottles and a case of wine contains 12 bottles. Kingfisher Bohemia is available in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pondicherry, Kerala and Kolkata.

Slogan

Kingfisher Beer is sometimes promoted as The King of Good Times.

Awards

• World's best Lite Lager Award at the Stockholm Beer Festival in 1994.
• World's best Lite Lager Award at the Stockholm Beer Festival in 1995.
• Gold medal at the World Beer Championship held in Chicago in 1997.
• First prize for the label work category at the Asian GrandPrix Cyrel 2000 Label award.
• Bronze award at the 'Australian International Beer Awards' in the "International Packaged Beer Section for the year 2000

Calendar

The Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar is another successful property the brand has developed over the years. Conceptualised along the lines of the Pirelli calendar, the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar is a blend of fashion, fun and glamour. Over the years, its unveiling has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the Indian fashion calendar.

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1 WHITE MISCHIEF VODKA

White Mischief Vodka

Brand Highlights

• Market leader with 43%  market share
• Fastest growing vodka
• 5 year CAGR of 50%
• Sales of 1.1 million cases p.a.

USP:

• Brand name,
• Frosted bottle,
• Blue and white color,
• Sharp and edgy communication
• Excellent for preparation of cocktails.

Blend

• Triple-distilled from the finest spirit and systematically carbon filtered to the highest levels of clarity and purity
• The clean and dry Extra Neutral Alcohol is blended in close supervision and strict quality control parameters to ensure a high quality vodka blend.

0 ROMONOV VODKA

Seductive and magical, Romanov is all enticing beauty with the zing. A stylish
pack that screams attitude and attractive labels make Romanov Vodka a
premium offering. The fastest growing vodka in the country, Romanov is
at the forefront of innovations. Keeping in step with the changing
times, Romanov is introducing a first-of-its-kind offering - Romanov Diet Mate Vodka. Besides, Romanov is also available in two peppy flavors namely Green Apple and Tropical Thrill.

A premium variant of Romanov, Romanov Red caters to the growing consumer
need for a vodka that not only matches international standards in
smoothness and taste but also delivers superior imagery. For the first
time in India, a vodka has been introduced in a shrink sleeve packaging
(the bottle is made of red sleeve that is conspicuous and attractive)
to heighten its visibility.
                      

Romanov
gets its name from the last czar of Russia and true to its calling
remains committed to the finest vodka making, the way Russians
traditionally made their vodkas. Romanov then not only delivers an
international youthful imagery but also provides the consumer vodka
that is truly superior.


A rigorous 7-step manufacturing process ensures a high level of clarity
and purity. A World class triple-distilled blend with a tinge of
pure spring water, Romanov induces a sense of refreshing energy. And
its piquancy leaves you craving for more

0 PINKY

Pinky is renowned for engaging the taste buds and enhancing fruit flavors in mixed drinks. Pinky is fabulous neat, of course, but pair it with juice, soda or tonic and prepare to be amazed

Pinky Vodka is proud to announce that the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago has awarded Pinky a Gold Medal, and a 91-point review
of “Exceptional.”

Given the prestige of the Beverage Testing Institute, and their finely-honed palates, we know this is an organization that’s not easy to please. But we’re happy to report that, like a growing number of vodka lovers around the world, they were pleasantly surprised to discover that Pinky is “more than just eye candy.” As beautiful as Pinky looks, it’s the unique taste of the hand blended botanical vodka from our champion wine-tasters that earns the accolades and adds another gold medal to the mantle.

As we say, there’s no other vodka in the world like Pinky

0 CELEBRATION RUM

Mc Dowell’s Celebration Rum is the 2nd largest rum in the world and a market leader in India. Available in 2 variants - No.1 Celebration Rum and No.1 Celebration Rum Dry & White, both of which are matured, distilled and blended with exceptional finesse. It captures the traditional roots of rum making and full credit to the Master Blender who did a rigorous study before creating this superior blend. Its chocolate brown texture makes it full-bodied rum with richness of toffee and caramel in its aroma. Take a sneak peek at the residential bar of any defense personnel – you can be doubly sure to find atleast one bottle of Celebration Rum.

Depending upon which website you visit, McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Rum is listed as either the 3rd or the 4th best-selling rum in the World with sales of over 6 million cases per year. It is the largest selling rum in India with a market share between 38 and 40 percent. My research indicates that the McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Rum is a result of a multiple distillation production which uses 5 copper column stills. The rum is aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels before being blended and bottled. Because the information from the various websites I visited was somewhat contradictory, I would not want to claim that these are solid facts, they should more reasonably be assumed to be good estimations.

The rum is distilled, blended and bottled at Ponda, Goa in India by United Spirits Ltd. (formerly known as McDowell Spirits Ltd). For your information, Goa, a former Portuguese colony is situated on the Western Coast of India. It is India’s smallest state by area, but the fourth largest by population, and the most prosperous by GDP.  Today Goa contains a unique blend of European culture merged with Indian hospitality. It is a preferred tourist destination in India famous for its abundance of white sandy beaches.

I have very little experience with rums from India, (Amrut Old Port Rum is the only other Indian rum I have tasted), and it will be very interesting to see what this Indian Rum has in store for me.

In the Bottle 4/5

The bottle I am reviewing is pictured to the right. It is a square decanter style bottle with textured glass to help you grip the bottle without slippage.  Of course I am unhappy with the metal screw cap especially as this one has only two threads. However, the rum was not especially expensive, and the bright red label combined with the squarish bottle has kind of funky charm.

In the Glass  8/10

In the glass the rum has a rich mahogany color with reddish tinges in the light. The initial nose carries a lot of caramel, toffee and molasses forward with strong accents of vanilla and dry fruit. An odd medicinal sharpness rises into the air as well reminding me that this rum is aged for only three years.  As the glass decants an underlying aroma of toasted nuts becomes apparent as well as baking spices which have been building in the glass. I seem to catch a few spicy cloves, and a little nutmeg in the breezes, but an odd spicy element I cannot identify has crept in which taints the aroma rather than enhances it.

In the Mouth 47/60

As the rum enters my mouth I cannot help but notice that this is quite a bit dryer than most rums I am accustomed to. There is a bit of a sharp bite that accompanies the dryness as well as an odd bitterness.  I taste a lot of vanilla and caramelized sugars, as well as other charred flavours which seem to give the rum an oddly medicinal quality. Dry tobacco, tea leaves and citrus zests round out the flavours; but, the overall impression is of a rum which tastes a little rough around the edges.

Mixed with cola the rum settles down, but I would be hard pressed to say that this is smooth. I tried a few other mixers including various fresh squeezed juices with simple syrup, but I was defeated each time by the oddly spicy taint I found in each drink I constructed. I did however have good luck when I ventured from my comfort zone and used a combination of ginger beer and lime . The spiciness of the ginger beer seemed to merge with the odd qualities I was tasting and the resulting “mule” style cocktail was quite nice.

In the Throat  11.5/15

The rum finishes with a dry harshness I am not used to. Tea leaves, as well as hints of tobacco and cocoa are apparent in a somewhat sharp, and somewhat bitter finish.  My conclusion here is that the McDowell’s may work well as a mixer, But I would not consider this a rum for sipping.

The Afterburn  8/10

I found it hard to warm up to the McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Rum. It has a dry bitterness, an oddly spicy yet somewhat medicinal flavour, and a harsh finish which for me made this rum difficult to enjoy neat or with ice.  Mixed with ginger beer however, the rum tasted pretty nice.  Given some time I think I might actually find a few other cocktail expressions which will work really well, but until those cocktails have been found, I will prefer to stick to the recipe below.

Recommended Recipe

Pondo Celebration Mule

2 oz McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Rum
1/2 lime
ice
3-4 oz Ginger Beer

Slice the lime into chunks and muddle in a tall glass
add ice and McDowell’s Celebration Rum
Fill with Ginger Beer

Garnish with Lime if desired

0 MC DOWELLS NO.1

No. 1 McDowell’s Whisky
The leader in the prestige or semi-premium segment and among the fastest growing whiskies in the world, No. 1 sells abroad as well. FY05 saw the Brand maintaining its dream run, ending the year at over 5.7 million cases. It is the 4th largest non scotch whisky and the 7th largest whisky in the world. The brand also continued its association with world class music concerts by bringing the world’s No. 1 pop sensation, Enrique Iglesias, to two live concerts in the country. McDowells No. 1 Reserve Whisky smart pouch has bagged the Silver Award for Packaging Excellence in a Global competition, held by the Flexible Packaging Association. Pack Size: 750ml, 375ml, 180ml. Origin: India. Price: HK$80/750ml, HK$45/375ml, HK$25/180m

0 ROYAL CHALLENGE

Royal Challenge is the largest selling premium whisky in India. Cherished by connoisseurs of spirits all around the world, Royal Challenge is a 24 years old blend with a rich heritage of innovation and unsurpassable quality. A true personification of the spirit and energy of today's achievers, this flagship brand of United Spirits Ltd. is the sole millionaire brand to inhabit the premium whisky segment.
 

Royal Challenge was the whisky that proved to be a trailblazer from the time it was launched in the 80s. It swept from the North and won the hearts of whisky drinkers across South India and became so popular by the mid 80s that not many were even aware that RC stood for Royal Challenge. As the UB Group acquired Shaw Wallace in 2005, RC became a part of USL's proud legacy.

Royal challenge exudes a vibrant and youthful image. It is a true market leader not just because of it's high market share but also because of the imagery it lends to its consumers.
An amazingly smooth whisky, the secret of its velvet-like texture lies in the use of leisurely matured malt spirit. To create this unique blend, enormous time was spent by the Master Blender in studying the properties of various oak wood casks. Eventually, the 'Right' casks were chosen for maturation of the malt spirit used in Royal Challenge after extensive research. Thus was born Royal Challenge. 
 

Colour	:	Antique Gold
Aroma	:	Sweet malt, leisurely matured wood having depth, unique hazelnut painted on string of honey
Taste	:	Medium body. A burst of malt is followed by oak wood & vanilla, mild astringency resembling skin of wild berries
Finish	:	Long and smooth, intense yet delicate

0 SIGNATURE

	Originally ,old was gold , success came with age, and fine blended Scotch whisky came only from Scotland. Today there's more to success than age and more to a whisky than its place of origin. A new taste. Mcdowell's Signature Rare Whisky is painstakingly blended with the choicest pure Scotch whiskies and distinctive malts, for men who can appreciate a finer flavour.Blending two worlds.Our Master Blenders traversed the Whisky Route in Scotland in search of the perfect malt whiskies.They then blended these rare aged Scotches with the finest malts to create their own exclusive signature in the world of whisky.A new journey for whisky.Carefully controlled climatic conditions, maturation in oakwood casks used once to mature bourbon, a watchful eye over the distillation process and over 106 years of "whisdom" all came together. The result: a light , mellow blended whisky with a highly individual tone.Distinctive in every way.The elegant octagonal bottle is designed to preserve the natural richness of the whisky. Encased in a stylish canister, it displays good taste ever before you savour it. Just proves what the successful man of today already knows only too well that often , its far more pleasurable not to follow the tried and tested route.