CHENNAI: You don't have to depend on people arriving from abroad to pick up your choice of scotch, vodka or cognac from the duty free shop anymore. Or, still better, the bootlegger who sells all the premium brands of liquor at a high premium will soon lose his business. The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, the state's arm that markets liquor, has decided to open up a new chain of retail outlets that will have all premium brands of your choice on the racks.According to informed sources with the TASMAC, the 'elite' shops, as they are being described, would cater to people who "have a taste for quality". Although the proposal is in the initial stages, a source told City Express that there would be eight shops set up in vantage locations in and around the city. "We are planning to establish eight shops in and around Chennai, of which one outlet is coming up on the East Coast Road in Mamallapuram, a tourist centre swarmed by international tourists," a senior official told City Express. "An elite shop would also be opened at Spencer Plaza. Though other malls in the city were also considered for the purpose, they were dropped owing to high rent and non-availability of space," the official added. However, there is one hitch - the shops would not have bars attached making them merely take-away outlets. This decision, the official said, was keeping in mind the environs of the shops which are going to be predominantly upmarket. The authorities are also looking for shops in places with frequent people movement, if the locals don't object for the outlets. The elite shops would sell a range of brands that are popular in the international market. Top brands, including Johnny Walker Black Label, Remy Martin and Smirnoff Red Vodka, besides several Indian Made Foreign Liquor brands, are expected to be available for the city's tipplers. Welcoming the idea of elite shops, a resident who loves his drinking, requesting anonymity, observed that Chennai boasted of a few private elite shops before TASMAC took over the retail liquor trade. "That the shops don't have bars is a sensible decision, as it would tap the potential corporate crowd to the doors of these elite outlets," he underscored. However, Franklin (named changed), a youngster in his late 20s, feels that the government must permit bars. "A huge chunk of Chennaiites visit the bar-cum-restaurants and bars in star hotels for the ambience that the present TASMAC bars fail to provide. If the elite shops have bars, it would woo this section, generating more revenue for the government," he added. Perhaps, an idea that the state's liquor marketing corporation would like to look into. In any case, the move has been given two thumbs up by people who have acquired a taste for quality drinks. Hic hic hooray!
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