India’s newest craft rum tells a tale of the swashbuckling French pirate Olivier Levasseur who seized a bounty from a secret village or ‘Segredo Aldeia’ in Goa. Located along the banks of the Mandovi river, the village attracted all kinds of characters who spent their days making rum and nights carousing. This romantic, part-fact, part-fiction backstory is where Segredo Aldeia, India’s newest homegrown rum takes off from.

In just the past year, the country’s homegrown rum scene has shown some encouraging signs of growth. While Amrut’s Two Indies’ Rum has reigned supreme in the craft rum category for more than eight years, 2021 saw the launch of Still Distilling’sMakazai Rum and bar veteran Arijit Bose brought The Lovers Rum—a premium blended spirit that combines the styles of five very distinctive Latin American and Caribbean rums—to India.

A Henly business graduate, Aman Thadani is the Director of Business Development at Fullarton Distilleries ,He speaks to Lopamudra Ganguly about the Rum.

Please tell us about your creation the New Rum Segredo Aldea Rum.

In the tropical woodlands of Portuguese Goa lay a village famed for its rum. A rum that, as legend has it, was part of the most valuable treasure in history. Segredo Aldea is a retelling of this famous rum, recreated at a place not far from where its story was born.

Portugese for ‘Secret Village’- Segredo Aldeia draws from Goa’s rich & diverse history to recreate a spirit from an era gone by.

How is it special? The inspiration behind it?

The concept behind Segredo Aldeia was to create a rum that surpasses contemporary Indian standards of rum & introduces the general public to the still foreign concept of a ‘sipping rum’. Over the ages consumers have only been exposed to drinking rum with coke or in a mojito, the idea of sipping rum over ice felt like a far-fetched concept let alone enjoying it that way.

The logo and the name.

The framework of the label design & logo is based on an adaptation of the iconic Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica overlaid atop a vintage drawing. It illustrates a panorama of rough open seas and a shore filled with secrets.

Portugese for ‘Secret Village’- Segredo Aldeia draws from Goa’s rich & diverse history to recreate a spirit from an era gone by.

Why Rum?There are other spirits also.

We started out in the Whisky market with Woodburns & then also entered the gin space with Pumori. Rum was the natural progression & the next step in creating a portfolio of high quality Indian spirit

Did the “Pandamic have an effect on your business?

The pandemic has had a huge effect on the global supply chain that has had a ripple effect across various businesses. Restrictions on bars & restaurants sparked a change in what people drink & how they drink it. The domino effect of the pandemic has caused a positive change in consumer purchase patterns as well, consumers are now showing increased interest in Indian spirits, especially in retail, which is a great step forward for domestic brands in the alco-bev space.

Where do you get the raw materials from?

Segredo Aldeia is a 100% Indian product with all our raw materials coming in from within the country. The key ingredients being sugarcane & coffee beans. The sugar cane comes from the Northern & Western regions of the country. Our coffee beans come from a single estate South India, it’s then subjected to a tailored dark roast before it finds its way to the Rum

What is the present volume of production? and maturation time?

Our current maturation time for our rums is 12 months.

Tell us something about the pricing?

Segredo Aldeia is available in 2 expressions- A white rum & a cafe rum. Both are currently available in Maharashtra & Goa.

Segredo Aldeia White Rum MRP (Goa)- Rs.1500/-

MRP (Maharashtra)- Rs.2800/-

Segredo Aldeia Café Rum MRP (Goa)- Rs.1650/-

MRP (Maharashtra)- Rs.3050/-

Your future plans?

Our focus currently lies in increasing our width of distribution. We have got a great response from the markets we are currently in and are seeing keen interest in other states for portfolio of products.