WHEN 35-year-old Gautom Menon set out to create India's first premium rum, he wanted to give the country a spirit it would be identified by. Soon after taking over his family's distillery business in Kerala, Menon was not satisfied by just being bottling partners for various liquor brands in his state. In fact, he was not even drawn towards alcohol as a business idea. "I was a teetotaller. My father and uncles would nudge me to try whiskey at parties. I never liked the taste." After dabbling in cars for a bit, he had to take over the family business, following a family emergency, "in true Karan Johar movie style". That was in 2006. Today, Menon is founder of Wild Tiger rum, that he hopes is the country's rum reply to premium scotch and vodka.

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