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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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.
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.
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.