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Top 10 craft gin brands from India
Indian brands spanning London Dry, pink gin and even some surprising and unexpected flavour combinations, are storming the market in 2024. Here’s our list of the top 10 to watch.
Indian consumers have long been drawn to the aspirational status of imported products, such as Scotch whisky, but they are also increasingly taking pride in the rising quality levels of domestic spirits, some of which now rival imports in terms of prestige and pricing. Craft gins and Indian single malts currently epitomise this reappraisal.
Last month we compiled a list of the best Indian single malt whisky brands to look out for. Now, moving into the white spirit space, here is our breakdown of the best craft gins made in India on the market today.
Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin
Coming in two expressions, the classic and the gold, Jaisalmer craft gins have a large market presence with the Radico Khaitan label available in more than 50 countries, 20 Indian states and over 20 airports. Since its launch in 2018, the brand has increased its distillation capacity by three times due to rising consumer demand. Sanjeev Banga, the company’s president of international business, told the drinks business that the brand is also determined to increase its presence in the on-trade channel.
Saṃsāra
Parent company Spaceman Spirits Lab currently has six different craft gin expressions under the Saṃsāra brand, including a classic London Dry, Vale of Paradise made with botanicals from the Kashmir Valley, The City of Pink pink gin, plus a Grapefruit & Rose, Lemon & Elderflower and Coffee & Hazelnut gin.
Swapn Randhawa, the company’s brand manager, says Saṃsāra plans to introduce more flavours in the craft gin and craft rum categories.
“Spaceman Spirits Lab expects to establish itself as the foremost craft spirits producer in India,” she said. Randhawa added that Saṃsāra will be available in more local and global markets. The brand sold 350,000 bottles in the last 12 months.
Stranger & Sons
Another Indian craft gin brand that puts creativity at the forefront is Stranger & Sons, which has dropped four limited editions to date and sold them all swiftly. The brand’s co-founder, Rahul Mehra, pointed out that “surprising consumers and presenting them with exciting and experimental choices are key.” Stranger & Sons has witnessed exponential growth with Mehra revealing that it sold 4,000 cases in the launch year and its total sales in the last five years come up to 35,000 cases.
Malhar
Produced in copper stills, John Distilleries’ Malhar comes in two expressions: Malhar Classic Dry Gin and Malhar Citrus Gin. After seeing an annual growth of 15% this year, the brand plans to release another flavour within the next six months, according to Asa Abraham, the company’s digital marketing head. Speaking about the brand’s future, Abraham said that Malhar will be entering more Indian states this year while simultaneously increasing its global presence by launching in many countries across the globe in the coming years.
Satiwa – Hemp Craft Gin
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Founded by Sahil Adwalpalkar in 2022 to educate people about the health benefits of hemp, Satiwa is a craft gin brand with hemp seeds and other botanicals from India. The gin which is marketed as a “get happy high” spirit, comes in three flavours — the original, passion fruit and berry — currently available in its city of origin, Goa and Bengaluru.
Greater Than
Greater Than by Nao Spirits offers one-of-a-kind craft gin options such as the Broken Bat (aged with broken cricket bats), the No Sleep (infused with cold brew coffee). While this first-ever brand to drop London dry-style gin in India is available in different parts of the world, Anand Virmani, the brand’s founder, CEO and distiller, said the company wants to focus more on its Indian audience. He said: “The international market is definitely exciting but we’ve seen massive potential within the country itself.”
Pumori Small Batch Gin
Owned by the Fullarton Distilleries, Pumori likes experimenting with its spirits. Experimentation lead the brand to release its Pumori Ascent, India’s first barrel-aged craft gin matured in ex-whisky barrels for about 400 days and its latest addition, the Pink Gin. The company’s creative head Mohit Sadhnani said that Pumori tries to go beyond its consumers’ expectations by pushing barriers in the craft gin industry. This has played out positively for the label which has sold 200,000 bottles since its launch.
Jin JiJi
Jin JiJi is an Indian dry gin brand that is produced in the label’s distillery in Goa where it is distilled in copper pots in small batches. Its current offerings, Indian Dry Gin and the tea-infused Darjeeling, have a 43% ABV and the brand will launch another expression, called the High Proof, with an ABV of 57.15%. The brand was initially launched in the US in 2019 as a collaborative project by Peak Spirits and High Road Spirits becoming the first Indian gin to be sold in the states. Currently, the gin label is also available in India, Belgium and France.
TERAI India Dry Gin
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The India Craft Spirit Company which has been distilling alcohol for four generations entered the crafted alcohol industry with the launch of its grain-to-glass gin marque TERAI. It is a London dry-style gin that is made in Carl copper pot-stills that are specially made in the company’s distillery in Rajasthan. After tasting about 100 botanicals, the brand funnelled down to the 11 botanicals that give the gin its flavour. As of now, Terai is available in some Indian cities and Singapore.
Baagh Indian Craft Gin
A new addition to the Indian craft gin industry, Baagh was launched by Chhota Hazri Spirits in 2023. In six months, the company has sold 6,000 units in its markets which include select cities in Maharashtra and the UAE. Baagh will soon be available in more domestic and international markets as its CEO and founder, Jatin Dev Bobb, says that the company’s “strategic focus lies in broadening [its] footprint across both domestic and international markets to cater to the discerning preferences of gin enthusiasts globally”.