Luxebook June 2022

the flavour profile and enjoy the drink. We trust his palate and his immense knowledge of mixology,” says Bhagat. The way forward Is the Indian craft gin market saturated? The response is a unanimous resounding “no” across the board.“I don’t think we are anywhere close to the peak. In 2014, people had the same question about the UK market when the gin boom was in full flow with a hundred different distillers. Today, there are more than 700 gin distillers in the UK! Of course, it’s unlikely we will have that many since it’s not as easy to operate a distillery in India, but I can definitely see 40-50 distilleries coming up,” says Virmani. Karina Agarwal, vice president of Terai gin agrees, although she believes that new gins will have to be quite distinctive in their messaging to stand out. “We will see a lot more play of botanicals, which will also become more regional”, she adds. According to Bhagat, there will be a flushing out of brands in the next 3-5 years because the consumer is getting savvy and knowledgeable about gin. “Some brands will become bigger, some with remain small, others will die out. That’s how it’s in Europe as well. Tarquin’s is small while The Botanist is getting larger by the day; it depends upon the ambitions of the founders”, she says. Eventually it will all come down to quality and innovation. Nearly every brand we spoke to is planning a new launch, whether it’s a new variant, a flavoured gin, a limited edition, or an exciting collaboration. Distillery tours is another way to pique the consumer’s interest. At present, Tamras is the only gin brand that offers an experience at its distillery in Goa, although India Craft Spirit Co., which makes Terai gin, plans to start tours of its distillery in Rajasthan soon. “From its inception, we wanted the home of Terai to be a place where we welcomed friends and gin lovers. Fitted with a beautifully designed exhibition room that opens into a bar space and tasting room, which extends into our distillery floor, we can’t wait to have people there”, says Agarwal. Batra and Suri believe that it’s time for Indian craft gin to expand to the global market.“We’ve already seen the expansion to Southeast Asia and the idea is for the international gin community to be excited about Indian craft gins and its flavours”, they say. Bhanage agrees, although he believes that the Indian gin community needs to tell the Indian craft gin story in unison at the international stage. “It’s like French wine; different terroirs come up with different wines, but we know them as French wines. Similarly, you must make Indian craft gin a category and talk about it all over the world”, he says. Even after five years, the excitement around every new gin brand and what it represents is still very palpable. As the industry evolves and consumer interest continues to grow, the next few years seem very promising for the Indian craft gin space. them to showcase our product”, says Evgenya Prazdnik, drinks director at Nao Spirits and Beverages. The birth of Indian-made tonic water brands like Svami, Jade Forest, Sepoy & Co. etc. also helped further the gin story giving mixologists a craft product to pair with the gin and then add their own twist to it. “Innovations like house-flavoured tonics to pair with different gins and botanicals and using house- made bitters and shrubs all add to the excitement. Our bestselling cocktail is the Herbalist where we keep the gin as the champion, but a few drops of a simple shrub made of orange peel and basil leaves infuses loads of character and freshness,” says Harish Chandra Chhimwal, lead mixologist at Olive Bar and Kitchen Pvt Ltd, which runs the gin-forward bar and restaurant Toast & Tonic in Bengaluru and Mumbai. At The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro, 60% of the bar sales are gin cocktails. “The spirit works really well with the Indian weather; it’s always hot so a refreshing gin cocktail is what you’d prefer over say a whisky cocktail”, says Bhanage. Giving a further fillip to this space, earlier this year,Third Eye Distillery acquired a majority stake in Countertop India, an F&B consultancy. “Through this partnership, we aim to uplift the Indian bar industry through training, and leading it towards innovation”, says Saigal. Brand ambassadors have also played a huge role in taking the craft gin message forward —many brands have appointed renowned mixologists, whether it’s the “Hapusa Whisperer” Swanand “Swani” Korgaonkar or Tamras’ Chief Adventurist Raul Raghav or Terai’s Tobias Carvalho. “For a craft spirit, the brand ambassador plays a very different role as compared to a commercial spirit brand — from educating people about the spirit to creating cocktails specifically for the spirit. For us, Raul Raghav provides the final frontier so to speak, presenting our spirit in a form where the consumer can appreciate Tamras Chief Adventurist Raul Raghav 16| L U X E B O O K | J U N E 2 0 2 2 J U N E 2 0 2 2 | L U X E B O O K | 17