India’s first museum dedicated to alcohol has opened its doors to ‘spirited’ enthusiasts in Goa. India’s first museum dedicated to alcohol has opened its doors to ‘spirited’ enthusiasts in Goa. A local businessman Nandan Kudchadkar started this museum with the name ‘All about alcohol‘. Located in the tiny beach village of Candolim in North Goa, the museum has hundreds of artefacts linked to feni, including large, traditional glass vats in which the local cashew-based alcohol was stored centuries ago.
Speaking on the unique museum Kudchadkar, who is a collector of antiques, said the idea behind the museum was to make the world aware of Goa’s rich heritage, especially the story of feni, the strong local drink.
“When I thought of creating a concept like this, the first thought that came into my mind was whether there is an alcohol museum in the world. There is absolutely no place where you can see the kind of stuff pertaining to alcohol anywhere in the world. If you go to Scotland, they are very happy about their waters, about their drinks etc. Similarly, in Russia, the people feel happy to showcase the drinks they have,” he said.
“When we come to India, we project alcohol differently. Following my instincts, I decided to set up India’s first museum dedicated to alcohol here,” he said.
Armando Duarte, CEO, Alcohol Museum said, “One of our prominent drinks is Kaju Feni alcohol that is put on display here. This drink is fermented naturally. For Goans, the consumption of alcohol was a symbol of hospitality.”
Dr Malhotra, a tourist for Maharashtra who visited this place, said, “The amount of information preserved here is amazing. I am dazed and awestruck with the place. The amount of information, they have kept here for visitors to see is super amazing.