In high spirits

The ones who appreciate the light fruity notes blended with spicy aromas of Bushmills Irish Whiskey or the mild burn of Russian Standard Vodka and the chalky firmness of Laurent Perrier wouldnrsquot settle for anything elseTake Pisco for instancemdashit is the perfect combination of two varieties of carefully selected grapes quebranta and Italia to make colourless or yellowishtoamber coloured brandy that is semiaromatic with a slight hint of Muscatproduced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile These are select brands not easily available across the country but have been recently brought to the Indian audience thanks to the efforts of Kunal Patel CEO Monika EnterprisesPatel says ldquoSome of these brands are wellknown internationally but have been struggling to make their own identity over here To give these brands a stage in the Indian market has been quite a task and not to mention that every state has its own rules and regulations for the liquor industry To navigate the regulations proved to be an uphill task But wersquove managed well so far and look forward to bringing more brands here in the futurerdquoKunal PatelPatel is particularly proud of three brands that he has brought to the country ldquoFirst Reserva De La Familia Extra Anejo Itrsquos a drink that can give the single malts a run for their money It is a sipping superpremium tequila with aromas of fresh vanillafudge medium oak and roasted agave that is so well made that I have it in my home bar for celebratory occasions To mix this drink even with water would be an insult to it thatrsquos how well made it is The bottle is handmade with a wax seal which looks like a work of art Second is Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva I have tasted several premium rums when I was looking to import one but I have never had anything like this one before Having this rum is an experience of its own It is a sipping rum that is complex and full of character Think a blend of fruit cake rum and raisin ice cream cocoa and spices like dried ginger cinnamon and clove This could be had on a late evening when sitting back and relaxingrdquo The third one is La Botija Pisco It is one of the first Piscos to be imported in India and was Patelrsquos firmrsquos first offering It has a GI tag of Peru and can be drunk neat or added to cocktailsThe brain behind the brand is in fact his father Bhimji Patel who has more than four decades of experience in the liquor industry He noticed the lack of quality in foreign spirits available in India and set out to change that Following his footsteps Kunal joined him in 2013 bringing along a whiff of modern ideas From representing only two international liquor brandsmdashSlingshot a readytodrink spiritbased shots and Pisco the Peruvian white brandymdashthe duo launched the next phase of expansion now exclusively representing more than 42 brands of some of the best premium liquor across the globe These include a selection of premium rum tequila vodka single malt blended whiskey Irish whiskey gins liqueur wines and champagne Theyrsquove brought in more than 120 labels of spirits and wine deemed to be the best of the best with most of them appearing in the top five of their respective categories todayPatel has ensured that the liquor brands added to their portfolio were carefully handpicked to adapt to Indian tastes along with having global appeal ldquoKeeping the productrsquos niche was our initial strategy when we entered the industryrdquo he adds Their distribution channel includes restaurants retail shops and the hospitality industry ldquoWhile the hospitality industry and restaurants have taken a hit due to the pandemic the retail business is boomingrdquo