In June last year, Sanjay Dutt, along with Cartel and Bros, launched The Glenwalk, a blended Scotch whisky produced in Scotland, in India. Cartel Bros, the company that owns The Glenwalk, has four partners. Manesh Sani and Mokksh Sani Co Founder of Living Liquidz, one of the largest liquor retail chains in India; Jittin S. Merani founder of Drinq bar academy; and Rohan Nihalani, the owner of Morgan Beverages. Since then, The Glenwalk has made major strides, expanding its presence in over 50 cities across six Indian states and the Middle East. Their international journey has also begun, with launches in Dubai and plans to introduce their brand in Canada, Europe, and Australia soon. They also announced the launch of their new surrogate product, Ginger Ale, which will soon be available on Zepto and other online platforms.
Sanjay Dutt and Mokksh Sani |
From Bollywood to business
The expansion spree began with its launch across six Indian states and key markets like Maharashtra, New Delhi, Goa, Daman and Diu, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand along with Adani’s Ospree Duty free Shops across the country in 11 months of its launch. Having sold 3.5 lakhs bottles, they have secured partnerships with over 35 distributors. Through strategic partnerships with Gulf Beverages, a reputable 30+ year-old company based in Dubai, The Glenwalk is set to be available across all duty-free shops in the Middle East, and the expansion is part of Cartel Bros’ broader strategy, with plans to enter the Canadian, European, and Australian markets within the next four months.
They have secured an 18% market share within its category in Maharashtra within its initial six months and aims at selling 2.8 million bottles in the next financial year. When asked about the factors to be considered when expanding internationally, Mokksh’s answer is to the point- “Pricing, availability and consistency in the taste and blend. And obviously, when we have a great face to the brand, like Sanjay Dutt, these factors are good enough for us to do globally.”
Cricket teams, production houses, sneakers and more
2023 saw 30 years of probably Sanjay’s biggest hit, Khalnayak (1993). With over four decades of working in the film industry, what has he learned with his foray into the entrepreneurship space?
“You have to put your heart into it and see that the product is absolutely amazing and consistent, with the price being just right,” Sanjay tells us. Mokksh is an old friend of his, and they would always discuss how they could get together to do something on the business side, which finally culminated into The Glenwalk.
However, this isn’t his only business venture. Sanjay is the co-owner of two cricket teams in two different cricket leagues: Harare Hurricane in ZimAfro T10 and B-Love Kandy in LPL. His production house is called Sanjay Dutt Productions Private Limited, along with another one he started called Three Dimension Motion Pictures. He also invested in the sneakers marketplace, called DawnTown. “I have always had a thing for cool shoes. In the 90s, I was majorly into cowboy boots. After 2000s, sneakers became my thing. I was smitten by the make, designs, colours. I am so thrilled and excited to attach my name to a whole range that represents my love for sneakers. We plan to go wild with it and create groundbreaking products together,” Sanjay had said at the time.
On working with Raveena Tandon
On the film front, Ghudchadi, a romantic comedy film starring Sanjay and Raveena Tandon releases today on OTT. Speaking on reuniting with Raveena and his thoughts on the film, he told us, “I got involved in that film because the script was nice and different, also its a family oriented film. With Raveena, we’ve done a lot of films together, and we go back many years, and there are many beautiful moments we’ve shared together. Even in Ghudchadi, it was so amazing that the memories felt like yesterday.”
In the gym
Before we let him go, one question had to be asked. How many push ups can he do now and how many could he do 30 years ago during the Khalnayak era? “I think you can do more now. I work out a lot (3 hours a day) because of my health condition, I have to really get my lungs expanded all the time. And in one shot I can do 50 push ups,” he said, while dressed in his colourful shirt, with the top buttons open, reminiscent of his 90s style, revealing a pumped up chest.
