Gin is seeing a surge in popularity, across bars and homes, birthdays and gin festivals. As legacy and homegrown brands battle for audiences, we trace how they differentiate themselves through botanicals and storytelling
Image for representational purpose only. Photo: istock
Be it Mumbai or Bengaluru, gin has become the go-to drink for many enthusiasts. The burgeoning cocktail culture can be partially credited for the versatile spirit’s growing popularity, which in turn gave impetus to several homegrown gin brands. While imported gins have long dominated the Indian market, the Indian gins have managed to find audiences across the nation, from loyalists drinking London Dry, to millennials who swear by craft and homegrown indulgences.
Bolstered by festivals, bar takeovers, and interesting mixer brands, India’s evolving gin scene is at a pretty exciting stage wherein patrons are willing to experiment with diverse flavour profiles, and brands are building and communicating narratives that are unique. We spoke to industry experts to understand how they’re forging their own paths in India’s dynamic gin culture.
Botanicals maketh gin
"When we’re talking about gin, you have one primary botanical that’s juniper berries, and the rest is pretty much open as there’s no strict law which defines which botanicals can or cannot go into a gin, so this is what all homegrown brands are kind of are playing on,” explains Aditya Aggarwal, founder of Samsara gin.
Speaking of Samsara’s signature taste, he adds, “We differentiate ourselves primarily in terms of our taste that comes in from our botanicals. We use rose, cardamom, vetiver (Khuss), and hemp seeds—these have been deliberately picked because we wanted quintessentially Indian botanicals that will transport you, and leave you with a nostalgic sensory experience. The whole purpose behind creating Samsara was to create a gin that has notes of India.”
Another prominent homegrown gin Stranger and Sons has a unique botanical makeup. “Stranger and Sons has a three-dimensional flavour profile. The citrus peels give the gin a beautiful freshness on the front palate that is rounded off with a robust blend of warm spices including black pepper, mace, nutmeg and coriander that give it a strong spiced middle. Liquorice, cassia bark and mace make the finishing flourish smooth, earthy and sweet,” shares Sakshi Saigal, director and co-founder of Third Eye Distillery.
While homegrown brands try to bottle the essence of Indian botanicals, Hendrick’s—a legacy gin bottle and distilled in Scotland offers patrons a delightfully floral spirit. “Hendrick’s follows an intricate creation process. In essence, to make one gin, we first create two. One on an old-fashioned pot still, yielding a rich and intricate spirit, and the other on a long-necked Carter Head, producing a more delicates and refined spirit. Each still is infused with an unusual symphony of 11 botanicals: chamomile, elderflower, juniper, lemon peel, orange peel, caraway, coriander, cubeb berries, angelica root, yarrow root and orris root. The gins from the two stills are then married together and graced with infusions of rose and cucumber to yield the final result. This odd method of making gin enables Hendrick’s to taste light, yet intriguingly complex,” says Payal Nijhawan, head of marketing at William Grant and Sons in India.
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