Kasauli

Kasauli

Kasauli is a cantonment and town, located in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The cantonment was established by the British Raj in 1842 as a Colonial hill station, from Shimla, from Chandigarh, and from Panchkula, and lies at a height of .-Demographics:According to the...

is a small cantonment

Cantonment

A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...

 town in Solan district

Solan district

Solan district is one of the twelve districts of Himachal Pradesh state in northern India. Solan town is the administrative headquarters of the district...

 in the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state

States and territories of India

India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...

. The cantonment was established in 1842 by the British colonial rulers as a hill station

Hill station

A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...

. Located 77 km from Shimla

Shimla

Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

, 65 km from Chandigarh

Chandigarh

Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...

 and 50 km from Panchkula

Panchkula

Panchkula is a planned city in Panchkula district, Haryana, India. It is a satellite city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It also shares seamless border with Mohali district in Punjab. The prestigious Chandimandir Cantonment Headquarters of the Indian Army Western Command, is also located in...

, it still retains an old world charm.

History

The Kasauli distillery and brewery were set up in the late 1820s at Kasauli (before the town was established nearby) by Edward Dyer. He brought with him, brewing and distilling equipment from England and Scotland. This equipment came by sailing ship as far up the Ganges river as possible, before being loaded onto ox drawn carts and taken up to the Himalayas via the route to Shimla. Some of the original equipment including the copper pot stills are still in use today.

Edward Dyer selected the location of his brewery/distillery due to the fine springwater available there and because the climate at this altitude was similar to the climate of Scotland. His stated ambition was "to produce a malt whisky as fine as Scotch whisky," albeit from much higher highlands. Another reason for this location was that there was a ready market of British troops and civilians in Shimla and elsewhere in Punjab for his products. He started by making India Pale Ale and malt whisky from the Kasauli brewery and distillery.

Later on, after the town of Kasauli was established and began using much of the springwater, the brewery was dismantled and moved to nearby Solan where it still operates today. However, the distillery remains at Kasauli and is the oldest operating distillery in Asia and one of the oldest whisky making distilleries in continuous operation anywhere in the world.

Edward Dyer incorporated his company in 1855, following the full establishment of British East India Company rule over the Punjab with the annexation of Punjab in 1849. This brought the area under British law which included the incorporation of companies. The company was incorporated as Dyer Breweries Limited and it later merged with Meakin Breweries Limited to become Dyer Meakin Breweries Ltd. The company still exists today under the name Mohan Meakin Limited.

Products

The world's highest distillery is the Kasauli distillery in the Himalaya mountains at an elevation of over 6000 feet (1,828.8 m). Historically, the main whisky brand made by the Kasauli distillery was a well regarded single malt named "Solan No. 1" named after the nearby town of Solan. Solan No. 1 was the best selling Indian whisky for over a century until the 1980s. In recent years, it has seen a decline in its fortunes. Today it is struggling against many much bigger rivals, which are largely flavoured rums (distilled from sugar cane juice). It remains the only single malt whisky made in the Himalayas.

Today, Mohan Meakin's principal liquor brand is Old Monk rum, whiskies include Diplomat Deluxe, Colonel's Special, Black Knight, Summer Hall and Solan No. 1. The company also produces London Dry and Big Ben gins, and Kaplanski vodka.