India’s first ever alcohol and beverage festival, The Vault Biennale, was held recently in the city. Many global brands attended the event, with an aim to penetrate the Indian beverage market, with their products. The event also invited Indian connoisseurs to experience the fine culture journey over two days at Tote on the Turf in Mumbai.
The Biennale organised by The Vault was limited to only 400 aficionados each day and was focused to create a platform to celebrate the craft distillers and distilleries. The event featured both national and international exhibitors and many premium distilled beverages, including whisky, vodka, rum, cognac, gin, vodka, and other brands.
In a conversation during the preview event, founder of The Vault, Keshav Prakash shared his thoughts about the venture, beverage market, choice and the the preparation behind the Biennale. Here are the excerpts:
I used to follow blogs and write to them about their product not being in the country, but then realised that the people living outside the country wanted guardians, custodians and product representatives for their brands in India. Both I and my wife were in film making, but we understood the gap in the market and thought of becoming the representatives in India, but brands, which otherwise wouldn’t be able to come because they are too small, being independent product makers making craft spirits. That’s how the brand ‘The Vault’ was born. We started with 7 brands, and today we are 40 brands which include Gin, Tequila, Whiskey, Rum and others.
The audience is growing here in Mumbai and it is different now since 4 years. We were earlier struggling to sell a bottle of whiskey and today people are aware of it. Gin has become a personal favourite. It has become a trend and the audience is picking off the shelf quite well. We have not found a reason why the audience doesn’t prefer. They are able to recogise and develop the taste and smell, hence the appreciation level across the product categories has increased. Today, we are the cusp of change, and we are going back to choosing products based on taste.
Biennale is a platform that serves as an extension of what we at The Vault do, that is access and culture. We want to build a culture of appreciation, and share stories with a group of beverage enthusiasts, thereby develop the consumer market. People today are highly focused on engaging, thereby understand the background of the beverage and the brand they choose. The curiosity is developing, and we want to cater to the audience. We have worked hard in bringing the makers and the community of people who appreciate the stories and the craft.
Biennale is a result of my travel and we have handpicked the 40 brands for the consumers to taste. I have curated brands specifically for the portfolio. People have built a trust factor with The Vault, as our collection is curated with experience. We aim to serve the portfolio to the audience. I have been to some popular spirit festivals across the world, but there isn’t anything like this in the country. Keeping the similar format in mind, the team at The Vault designed the activities across two days – where there is art, craft and lot more. The theme of the festival was storytelling, with an aim to share and let people know the story behind the brands.
Besides focusing on the luxury beverages, the organisers also curated pop-up stalls with a range of offerings such as artisan chocolates, ice creams, and other products to complement the luxury experience. The event was attended by many enthusiasts who experienced the luxury beverages. Various distilleries presented their products made out of passion, commitment, and fine quality – eventually making this event a platform where the audience met curated brands.
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