It’s a gin boom time that India is seeing recently. With some of us getting serious about our Gin, the market is now loaded with homegrown brands one can be proud of. India being the storehouse of exotic herbs has been a great add on benefit to have some different out of the box botanicals for these Gin like Almonds, Gondhoraj, Raw Mango, Ginger and so on.
Hapusa
This Gin that has been making quite a news, is distilled in India with foraged Himalayan Juniper and locally sourced botanicals. All of this is what makes Hapusa an uniquely Indian. In Sanskrit, Juniper is called ‘Hapusa’, and it is this which gives their Gin not only its name but its untamed aroma and flavour. Found near the snow line in the Himalayas, this elusive Juniper Berry provides a beautiful structure around which the rest of their botanicals are purposefully arranged. These botanicals come from all across the country to bring together its varied flavours, cuisines and cultures to make this a real journey in a glass. From the Pine forests in the Himalayas, your taste buds venture along the banks of the Hooghly River, through the monsoon forests of Tamil Nadu and finally end their journey in the lush spice farms of Goa. With botanicals like Corriander, Gondhoraj, Almonds, Raw mango and more, the tasting notes are on the lines of Pine forest and wildflowers on the nose with a bold earthiness on the palate and a long, delicately smoked, finish.
Stranger and Sons
The spirit of India in a spirit from India. Stranger & Sons is a contemporary Indian Gin, the debut spirit from Third Eye Distillery in Goa, founded in 2018 by Rahul Mehra, Sakshi Saigal and Vidur Gupta. Crafted with inherently Indian botanicals including a unique citrus peel mix and warm spices such as pepper, mace and nutmeg, they built a three-dimensional gin that is proudly Indian and true to its origin. With the idea of making a product that represents India on the global gin map, the trio chose Goa with its lush expanse of spice farms as the location for their distillery. Stranger & Sons was created in contemporary India, a country that is diverse, nuanced and eccentric. Stranger & Sons was launched as an Indian spirited gin which captures the essence of the sub-continent in every bottle.
This award winning Gin has managed to bag quite a few accolades under its name and they’ve managed to put Indian Gin on the world map and continue to work towards showcasing India’s diversity to the rest of the world! This one is currently available in Goa, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Rajasthan within India and UK, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, New Zealand and the UAE, internationally.
Greater Than
In 2015, the world was going through a “Gin-aissance” and yet, two bar owners in Delhi, India who waited expectantly for the tsunami of Gin brands were left high and dry. The country where Gin & Tonic was invented, If they wanted Gin, they were going to have to make it themselves. They stepped out from behind the bar, got themselves a copper pot still and experimented with every spice, herb and fruit they could find. It took them more than two years and a lot of help from their mentor, Elizabeth Anne Brock, a board member of the Gin Guild, but they finally found a recipe they loved enough to not just want to serve at their own bar but to take to the rest of the country and the world. “Greater Than” or “>” is their London Dry Gin made in India using some of the best botanicals from India and around the world. With botanicals like Juniper (Macedonia), Angelica Root (Germany), Almonds (India), Orange Peel (Spain), Coriander Seeds, Fennel, Chamomile, Ginger, Lemongrass (India) this one sees a tasting note with clean juniper with fresh lemon peel on the nose and a zing of ginger on the finish. Made in a 1,000 Liter Copper Pot Still source from Hungary, it is India’s first Craft Gin. As per its name, the Gin looks for all things greater.
Terai
This Rajasthan-made, Indian Dry gin Terai, sees 11 botanicals like Juniper berries, tulsi, coriander, fennel, lemon peel, orange peel, lavender, rose, angelica and orris root and so on. The cap of the Terai bottle is everything but ordinary as they from the local craftsman of Channapatna a place in Karnataka that’s famous for lacquerware, and beautifully coloured wooden toys. , reminiscent of old-school kids’ nurseries. This vibrant gin sees a lush green notes lifted by a citrus zest. This is followed by a characteristic floral bouquet and a sweet and piney juniper aroma. On the palate, sweet and herbaceous flavours are balanced by a dry spice and savoury finish.
Jaisalmer Gin
One of the costliest in the Indian hand-crafted section, Jaisalmer Gin packed in a robust and stout bottle sees a royal black packaging with just-enough touches of muted gold. This one absolutely screams of royalty and elegance. Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin harks back to imperial age of Maharajas and Maharanis and their leisure moments. Befitting a state with many fascinating stories, our gin is a worthy experience with a chequered past that lives on in a new incarnation today. Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin is a triple-distilled spirit, handcrafted in a traditional copper pot still in small batches by Master Distiller Anup Barik at Rampur distillery, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The use of botanicals is a time-honoured tradition in India and Jaisalmer Gin’s recipe is derived from the ancient Indian knowledge of herbs. Of all the 11 botanicals that are used, 7 have been sourced from all four corners of India. The Coriander and Vetiver, a complex spice with intriguing peppery notes, are grown in the fields around Jaisalmer and the sweet orange peel, which complements the citrus and floral tones of the gin, comes from Central India. Cubeb Berries and Lemon Grass from Southern India, Darjeeling Green Tea leaves from Eastern India and so on. Other botanicals include angelica roots, liquorice and caraway seeds lending a spicy, slightly anise-tinged flavour to the gin. The gin is surely class and taste and elegance packed in a glass.