Book review | The Jagdales of Bengaluru

If shipping coal to Newcastle is foolish, imagine selling premium Indian Single Malt whisky across the UK, Europe, Canada, the US and ultimately 44 countries. This is the story of a fearless Bengaluru business family and their trusted employee Ashok Chokalingam who achieved the impossible. Their low-key lifestyle, gruelling work schedule and old-fashioned rapport with customers and employees hark back to a time when employees were like family. Why would they take on such a daunting task instead of finding the easiest financial route to making money? Profits for the Jagdales are simply an investment in a socially rewarding future. One of those is an Olympic-sized public swimming pool in Bengaluru, a magnet for future global swimming events when India hosts the Olympics.

But this book is more than a paean to the Jagdales’ management skills. Whisky lovers will find liberal insights into the technology of distillation and the art of blending and maturing whisky to refine their appreciation of the aroma and flavour that separate whisky connoisseurs from ordinary citizens. It is also the story of a young MBA — Ashok Chokalingam — who chooses to apprentice in whisky distilling and global marketing rather than join the IT industry and comes out on top.

Amrut Distilleries started in 1948, under NJ Radhakrishna, the founder, to supply pure alcohol to the pharmaceutical industry, and later diversified into the lucrative mass market of supplying brandy and rum to the armed forces. In 1972, his son N.R. Jagdale diversified back into distilling pure alcohol and expanded the product base to include Prestige blended malt whisky and Bejois Brandy from local grapes. The economic liberalisation of 1991 injected foreign competition – Royal Stag – into the Indian market. It propelled Amrut to global excellence and premium pricing abroad, begetting the English lion in its den. Amrut Fusion was launched in the UK in 2004, targeting the 5,000 Indian restaurants – already serving Kingfisher and Cobra. But customers associate premium whisky with the UK, Ireland, the US or Canada, not India – better known for Bollywood, yoga and Indian food. In 2006, finances were under pressure. Ashok lives in his car and makes grueling cold calls for 16 hours to avoid paying for a hotel stay. The result is meager.

It’s time to make a decision. Either stop or change the marketing strategy. The focus on Indian restaurants has been abandoned, replaced by directly targeting whisky lovers and connoisseurs — the influencers who determine what premium customers buy — through blind whisky tastings. The response has been overwhelming. In 2010 Jim Murray’s Whiskey Biblean annual ranking of whiskies, places Amrut Fusion at number 3. Global recognition fuels domestic demand. The company is now run by Rakshit Jagdale. Perseverance, grit, dedication to standards and trust in employees have made this self-funded startup socially conscious and globally competitive — like Narayana Murthy’s Infosys. So, is there anything special about entrepreneurs in Bengaluru?

Amrut, the Great Churn: The World Story of India’s First Single Malt

By Sriram Devatha

Westland Business

p. 260; Rs 699