BOTTOMS UP AN EXPERIENTIAL SPIRITS OUTLET

By Rajesh Ghadge

Images by Shray Tyagi

Shray Tyagi, the promotor of the Bottoms Up brand comes from a service-class family and he is the first generation to enter the business world If you ask what sells more in Goa, the common answer will be liquor and Shray decided to enter into this most lucrative business with a Bottoms Up tagline.

Bottoms Up is a liquor store situated in Old Goa. It’s unique in that it has aesthetic interiors and a friendly customer approach Shray’s uncle used to work at United Breweries, then owned by Vijay Mallya, and he developed a kind of fascination with this field.

“Before starting Bottoms Up, I first researched the three things that are most essential and I found that food, medicine, and liquor have maximum sales even during the Covid period, and that paved my way to start “Bottoms Up” , ” said Shray.

When he decided to start a liquor store, he knew that it is one of the most competitive markets and there are hundreds of stores around Goa “But I wanted to stand out in the marketplace with our unique style and touch and we decided to set up Goa’s perhaps first experiential liquor store where the customers can walk in, have a look, feel the product, check the brands and rates, interact with us and buy the best suitable spirit,” he added Shray gives credit for his entering this field to Mr. Sanjiv of Wine Gallery from Mapusa who was his mentor. “Normally there is a perception that to start a wine store like this, one needs to spend around 1 to 3 CR but I started this business with only a 10 lakh investment and it has grown to this stage organically,” he said.

Bottoms Up stocks all types of liquor from expensive Single Malt whiskey to the most reasonable beer. “We keep the finest whiskey in town such as Blue Label, which is normally not available in other stores. We have Whiskey aged 25 years, we also have the Woodburns also known as the tale of oak, and it’s a very exclusive bottle that is available in some select premium outlets in Goa We also keep imported liquor- there is a Japanese series called Yamazaki that belongs to Toki Family and it is one of the rarest whiskeys and you will find that only at our outlet. We also support homegrown brands like Paul John, the Labradog series by Three Moneys, and Woodburns which is also a Goan brand and we also keep the Whiskeys made by Stolkhome Distilleries. Goa also has a very big market for gin and there are many brands available in the market,” he said Shray knows that the liquor business starts with a copycat policy as one does not know what will and what will not sell. “We cannot predict in the initial stages what will move and what will not, so we have to be copycats but as time passes, we learn the tricks of the trade and we come to know what moves and makes more money and based on that we stock up. Also, from the customer’s point of view, we start ordering more stock depending on their preferences, and in this process, we also learn. We do not categorize the clients based on their status either Initially, I saw that the labor class was hesitant to come inside a premium store so I had to invite them inside. For us, every customer is the same regardless of their financial standings. In fact, their community is very strong and they will pass on the word to others that at the end of the day add up to our business and now they have become my important clients- they give regular business.”

Speaking on the title of Bottoms Up, Shray said, that any name needs to have two important ingredients: it has to be catchy and simple “Bottoms Up was the right choice as it's a very common word in the spirits community and saying “Bottoms Up” means you are enjoying a drink with your friends and chilling out. If you see our board it says “Bottoms Up: The Liquor Store. It’s not a wine store because liquor covers everything, not just wine ”