World Gin Day: A glimpse of India's diverse and evolving gin culture

Ask anyone who frequents bars: gin is having its moment in India. Bolstered by the growing popularity of cocktails, themed events, and a plethora of interesting mixer brands popping up, the spirit has done well to capture the interest of enthusiasts in a whiskey-drinking nation like ours. From classic London Dry to Japanese and Indian crafts, the Indian gin drinker has an appetite for these extremely diverse gins, which has led to the emergence of homegrown brands. On World Gin Day, we spoke to industry experts who decode the reason behind popularity of the spirit, and share insights on how gin culture is evolving in India.

Variety fuels popularity

From strawberry to coffee, legacy and homegrown gin brands have started experimenting with diverse flavours in India which has helped broaden its consumer base. "The gin market is expanding due to the new diversity that's been recently introduced to it in the form of spice, fruit, flower and coffee infused gins. These have opened the market to many whose palette wasn't suited to the dry juniper heavy gins previously available. Hence, with the broader flavour profile availability, there has been a new explosive interest in gins, especially amongst the youth. The more experienced drinking crowd is also showing great interest in the new available variants," shares Dinesh Kathuria, co-founder of The Liquor Store.

Payal Nijhawan, head of marketing at William Grant and Sons in India adds, "Today, with the ‘ginaissance' in India, the category has recently begun its emergence as a popular preference for audiences and it has been interesting to witness the journey of gin in the country. Gin drinkers in India now have a variety of options, flavour profiles and brands to choose from, something that has only led to the growth of the category as a whole. As part of our Master Distiller Leslie Gracie's ‘Cabinet of Curiosities', we have launched two product variants in the market in India-- Midsummer Solstice and Lunar Gin - which have performed exceedingly well. This innovation platform creates and houses new, experimental varietals of Hendrick's Gin every year that are released in small but limited batches."

A conducive ecosystem

Ruchika Gupta, marketing director at Beam Suntory India believes gin has evolved into a culture. Photo courtesy: Beam Suntory

Gin has benefitted from festivals, bar takeovers, and new mixers popping up, and continues to thrive supported by these elements, according to Ruchika Gupta, marketing director at Beam Suntory India. She explains, "Gin has evolved from just a drink to a culture that is increasingly being fostered by festivals, tonic brands, special occasions, etc. Owing to the versatility of the spirit and the multiplicity of occasions that gin is relevant in, it is increasingly being added to consumers' alcohol repertoire as the go-to tipple. The ability of the spirit to enhance a wide range of flavour characteristics further gives it an edge in the creation of cosmopolitan cocktails, and with experimentation and DIY culture at an all-time high, consumers and bartenders are exploring such concoctions for multiple experiences. This ecosystem was already flourishing back in 2019 when Beam Suntory brought Roku into India. Roku's introduction and journey in the Indian market has been a very exciting and positive one, especially at a time when the market was brimming with increasing excitement around Japanese spirits."

Global shift

A boost of popularity in gin globally has trickled down to India, according to Aditya Aggarwal, founder of Samsara gin. Photo courtesy: Samsara

"The international popularity of gin across the continent especially South East Asia has had a trickling effect in my opinion. It's a very easy-to-drink spirit unlike wine and some other darker spirits, there's no right way or wrong way to enjoy your gin. Just get yourself a nice glass, fill it up with ice and be as creative as you can with the garnishes or be as creative as you can with the mixers you're using. Social media and cross-border collaborations between bars and bartenders, has fueled the popularity of gin as a spirit," shares Aditya Aggarwal, founder of Samsara.

Indian craft on the rise

If the number of gin and tonic homegrown brands that have cropped up in the past few years are an indication, Indian craft gin has arrived, and how. Stressing on the diversity of Indian gins, Kathuria says, "The gin market has recently undergone a revolution, with aspiring new distilleries coming up with innovative new recipes, blends and never before used botanicals. These add diversity to the classic gin cocktails due to the infusion of new dimensions because of new flavours, textures, and mixers catering to different palates out there. This has seen a new found burst of interest in gins and gin-based cocktails. Many Indian gins have surfaced with a lot of international acclaim. For example, Indians gins Samsara, and Stranger and Sons bring forth the spice and citrus found in the Indian peninsula, and when added to these gins they result in an entirely different product from what is available worldwide. I also firmly believe the best is yet to come."

Mixologist Yangdup Lama stresses on the passion that drives homegrown gin brands. Photo courtesy: Jimmy's Cocktails

Renowned mixologist and head of product at Jimmy's Cocktails, Yangdup Lama poses that it is the passion of the stakeholders that drives these homegrown brands, "There's a lot of excitement amongst the makers of the spirit to other stakeholders like bartenders and bar owners and last, but not the least, the consumers. Most importantly, the consumers are accepting the fact that India can make some great gins. With so many brands coming out of the Indian market, it is certainly helping the category to grow and pave the way for new experiments in the spirits space. Most gin makers are people who have come into the gin space out of sheer passion and love for the spirit rather than just business."

Redefining premium

Consumers are willing to try quality homegrown gins today, says Sakshi Saigal (R), co-founder of Third Eye Distillery. Photo courtesy: Third Eye Distillery

"Gin's presence in its current form is limited to the main metro cities and it's still got a long way ahead," observes Sakshi Saigal, director and co-founder of Third Eye Distillery. As far as liquor is concerned, Indians have always looked at international brands as a hallmark of quality and taste. The biggest challenge homegrown brands face is for people to treat Indian gins on par with international counterparts. "We found there to be a lack of belief that India could produce a quality premium product; this is what led us to launch Stranger and Sons, the first Indian contemporary style gin in the premium space. As early innovators in the Indian gin landscape, we wanted to reinvent the perception of the Indian spirits industry while at the same time encouraging consumers towards exploring spirits through more creative, experimental choices. Currently, craft brands in India are redefining the perception of premiumness. It is now much more about authenticity, craftsmanship, quality and embracing creativity. Today, we see a lot of consumers eager to try quality, homegrown products and I think we were definitely instrumental in bringing about this shift. Although the gin consumption style in India is slowly evolving, we believe that the journey for gin in India is just beginning."

The advent of non-alcoholic distilled gin

A social non-drinker's dream come true, Sober is India's first distilled non-alcoholic spirit. Launched in November 2021, the drink is made of classic botanicals such as juniper berries and orange peel, with organically grown herbs and mood-enhancing adaptogens such as ashwagandha, tulsi and natural green tea extract. When asked, who would drink a non-alcoholic gin, Founder Vansh Pahuja shares, "In sync with this ongoing cocktail movement, Sober is for people who choose not to drink, for whatsoever reason - whether you're dieting, driving, parenting or just taking a break due to health or religious reasons. So you can enjoy the same cocktail as it replaces a traditional spirit 1:1 - minus the sugar, calories or any hangovers."

While non-alcoholic distilled beverages are gaining popularity across the world, Indians are still far from this trend. "Since we are the first ones to introduce the same in India, it's fair to say that India is at a very young stage right now. But what makes India a very interesting opportunity is that though we consume a lot of liquor as data suggests, we also abstain from it in high volumes. So we are confident that this industry is bound to pick up its pace in the country - slowly but gradually. Wellness is a big opportunity for us," explains Pahuja.

Also Read: How to pair your favourite gins with flavoured tonics