FUNDAMENTALS

The passing away of Brigadier Kapil Mohan of Mohan Meakins brought in lots of memorial tributes from Old Monk lovers. Today’s quiz is on rum and its associated tales. Write in with your suggestions, questions ( with answers) to senjam@ gmail. com

RUM TALES

1. Old Monk comes in a very distinctive bottle. However, the shape of the bottle was inspired by the bottle of a Scotch whisky brand. The owners of that Scotch brand even took Mohan Meakins to court for copying their design. Identify this brand.

2. Papa’s Pillar rum is a unique blend of rum from the Caribbean, Central America and Florida. It is named after a fishing boat of a well known rum lover. Who?

3. Sir John G Alleyne was a parliamentarian in Barbados for 40 years. He was also Speaker of the house of assembly of Barbados. His name is immortalised in rum distillery that has the distinction of being the world’s first and oldest commercially run venture. Identify.

4. This novel was written by Hunter Thompson in 1961 but was not published until 1998. In 2011, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name starring Johnny Depp. Identify.

5. The person who inspired John Steinbeck’s first novel Cup of Gold has a rum brand named after him. Which brand?

6. This popular calypso song is composed by Lionel Belasco with lyrics by Lord Invader. It has been sung by various people including Chubby Checkers and Julio Iglesias. But the most famous version is by Andrew sisters. Which song?

7. At one point of time till early 2000, Old Monk was not only India’s best known rum but also the largest selling spirit. However, it has seen a steady fall since 2005, losing even the status of highest selling rum brand by 2010. Which brand has been the market leader in rum in India since then?

8. “Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest, Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum” — the most famous refrain on rum in literature. In RL Stevenson’s Treasure

Island, this line is from an old drinking song sung by members of Captain Flint’s crew on his pirate ship. What is the name of the ship?

9. What is the famous rum brand that is sold by the Bengaluru- based house of Khoday?

10. The Blue Chair Bay rum was started by a country musician who holds the title of Chairman and Chief brand officer of the company. Name this hilly billy man.

11. The first ever distillery of this brand in Cuba had fruit bats living in the rafters of the building. The bats were the inspiration for the logo of this brand. Identify.

ANYTHING GOES

1. Cockroach, How do Dready, you connect FEC and Long Handle? ( Partha Sarkar, Kolkata)

2. This cricketer’s career figures at the first ball of T20I bowling career read 0.0- 0- 0- 1 at this stage. He took a wicket off a first ball that was declared wide. Who and how? ( Dee Surendranath, Hyderabad)

3. Fishes, birds, reptiles are all oviparous animals. What distinguishes an oviparous animal from others? ( Jonathan Francis, Secunderabad)

4. This plant with yellow flowers is called Lucky Nut in West Indies. However, it is a poisonous plant and Arabs call it Kiss of death. Which plant? ( Aadisht Grover, Kolkata)

5. This former Test cricketer appeared in 29 Tests for his country scoring 1773 runs, including five centuries and ten fifties. He also represented his country in Hockey at the Olympics. Identify this former double international sportsperson. ( BK Harinath, Mysuru)

6. When this politician was in class VI, he got a chance to deliver an extempore speech at the Saraswati puja function. His oratory skill made him one of the school’s star pupils. Identify this politician who later became the chief minister of his state. ( Somen Sengupta, Kolkata)

7. In 2004, this word was added to the Concise Oxford dictionary and was one of the commonest forms of protest across India, specially among workers. Identify the word. ( Philip Joshua, Secunderabad)

8. The Kakawin Ramayan was written around 870 AD. What language was it written in?