Stephen Marshall moves around a lot. And he drinks a lot of whiskey. Taken at face value, these statements may paint a picture of a Scottish souse staggering from pub to squalid pub, stooped over the stool closest to the barkeep who, without needing to be reminded, keeps the refills coming. Marshall is, however, Global Brand Ambassador, John Dewar & Sons, and he has what is possibly the most enviable job description in the world, travelling the planet and inviting others to share his appreciation of whiskies. “Primarily responsible for promoting and educating a global audience about Scotch whiskey,” he states, prompting a mildly disturbing flashback. If future engineers play with construction sets and painters-to-be toy with pastels, what, as a boy, was in Marshall’s tall glass at the breakfast table?
Marshall is in India to announce that Dewar’s is back. The company’s links to the subcontinent date back to 1892, when founding father Thomas Dewar made a two-year world tour in order to establish export markets. But it wasn’t until 1902 that business in India commenced, at Calcutta, due to the efforts of Peter M Dewar (no relation to the family). Despite the era’s overwhelming animosity towards the British Raj (or perhaps because of it, to temper those flaring feelings), the sale of imported liquor was never under threat. Business burgeoned. Company reports show that, by 1904, “the expenses of the India office had more than doubled to £2,490/17s/6d,” and by 1910, “they were up to £5,152/10s/9d at least, indicating a greatly increased activity in the branch, and the willingness of the head office to pay this demonstrates that they were happy with business.”
An amusing anecdote in the company annals notes the arrival in India, in 1921,
of William Eugene ‘Pussyfoot’ Johnson, the famous American prohibition advocate. “During his visit he went to Calcutta and spoke with a number of temperance organisations in the country. However, our company records indicate that he received a lukewarm reception from the Hindu population.” A
Record of Export Agents from the 1920s provides insight into Dewar’s Indian business, especially in the South. “In addition to our own office branch, we have various agencies working for us throughout the different geographical areas of India. For Southern India, which included ‘Madras Presidency, Mysore,
Travancore and Cochin, according to the official geographical boundaries’ we had the agency Spencer & Co Ltd based on Mount Road in Madras. This agency was introduced in June 1925 and were to sell White Label and Victoria Vat.”
The beginnings of the end became visible during the Great Depression. In 1931 the rate of duty on whiskey imported into India was increased by 40 per cent. The 1940s shuddered under the Second World War. In June 1942, the government announced that import licenses would be required for all spirits shipped after the first of July, and no licenses were granted to Dewar’s. “There was therefore very little Scotch whiskey left in India which provided a good opportunity for the black market. Rs 80 to Rs 100 per bottle was apparently being asked and paid.” Then India sloughed off British rule, and the new government “announced drastic reductions in imports in 1957/58 — reducing them to 25 per cent of 1956 levels.” It was no longer economically viable to continue the Calcutta branch. The office was closed on March 30, 1958.
Five decades later, Marshall insists he’s not relaunching the brand in India so much as redoubling activity on a brand that’s been a surreptitious presence on shelves. “The Indian domestic spirits market comprises mainly of whiskey, rum and brandy. But in the imported spirits category, Scotch occupies 90 per cent. One of the key strengths of this country is its large young population. The
30-to-35-year-olds usually flirt with whiskey and beer, and they account for 59 per cent of Scotch consumption.” Marshall makes the intriguing observation that while, in Europe, imbibers speak of the brands of whiskey, the Indian tippler talks about the taste. “And if people get the chance to learn more about Scotch and improve their skills of sensory evaluation, they will naturally gravitate towards a quality product.”
To aid this education, Marshall will launch, in September, the Dewar’s Discovery programme, “where we encourage sensory training and look a bit deeper into what makes a great whiskey. We let guests discover the
secrets of blending and (our extra step) double ageing.” A graduate of this programme will be better equipped to appreciate the elemental difference between single malts and blends, and he will also traipse into the traditional domain of oenophiles, being able to suggest food and whiskey pairings. One part of us may wince that, in addition to putting up with the affectations of wine snobs, we’ll now have to endure the sozzled soliloquies of the whiskey connoisseur, going on about the smooth, sweet and heathery inflections of Dewar’s White Label, for instance, with delicate notes of pear and just a hint of oak. But that’s surely a small price to pay for the warm feeling inside once the glass is drained and only the clinking of ice remains.
— baradwajrangan@expressbuzz.com