Spirited Picks: What India’s alcobev insiders purchase after they journey | Mint

Peak journey season is upon us. People you already know, or barely know, are placing out shiny Stories from throughout. Chances are your baggage, too, are packed. And as a spirits fanatic, you’re most likely questioning what bottles to snag — at Duty Free or your vacation spot. If that’s certainly the case, we’ve obtained reccos from among the most tuned-in names in India’s alcobev ecosystem.

Also Read: What the India-UK FTA means for whisky lovers — beyond Glenlivet and Glenfiddich

Rakshay Dhariwal, meals and beverage entrepreneur

As proprietor of Pass Code Hospitality, which runs 20 eating places and bars throughout the nation, and co-founder of homegrown agave model Maya Pistola Agavepura, Rakshay Dhariwal is at all times sampling new stuff — and recco-ing spirits. The newest addition to his sizeable tequila assortment is a sotol from Flor del Desierto, picked up in Thailand. Sotol is a standard Mexican spirit, like mezcal or tequila, however distilled from dasylirion, a spiny, desert-dwelling plant within the asparagus household. 

“This one’s a pechuga-style sotol,” says Dhariwal, referring to a uncommon distillation methodology through which meat, usually rooster or turkey breast, is added to the nonetheless throughout a last distillation, usually alongside fruits and spices. It provides physique and complexity, says Dhariwal. The ‘Snake Pechuga’ he purchased contains rattlesnake meat within the distillate, together with native botanicals. “It’s got outstanding flavour and aroma,” he says. If a serpent in your drink seems like a step too far, he suggests the extra standard Fortaleza, a tequila he calls “one of the smoothest I’ve ever had.”

Uday Balaji, whisky evangelist

Currently holidaying in Vietnam, Uday Balaji is all reward for Sampan Rum, an agricole-style rum made by Distillerie Indochine close to Hoi An. “It’s made entirely from sugarcane juice and has this lovely fresh, floral character,” says the Coimbatore-based whisky educator.  For these heading to Southeast Asia, he additionally recommends maintaining a watch out for Glenglassaugh Portsoy, a coastal single malt from the Brown-Forman portfolio. “I feel it’s a much-overlooked gem,” says Balaji of the peaty dram. “I’ve come across it at several duty-free outlets in the region, especially at Changi Airport and in the Philippines.” Also on his radar, if Europe occurs this 12 months, is Smogen, a daring Swedish whisky. “It holds its own against several Scottish single malts,” he says.

Also Read: The wait for cheap Scotch whisky got a wee bit longer

Mayukh Hazarika, alcobev entrepreneur

Mayukh Hazarika’s Cherrapunji is one in all India’s standout gins — smoky, rainwater-distilled in Meghalaya, and infused with botanicals from the North East, together with second-flush tea from the Lushai Hills in Mizoram. But gin isn’t the one factor Hazarika likes to sip after an extended day. At occasions, he turns to Calvados or Armagnac. “I’ve mostly picked up the Calvados Chateau du Breuil and Pays d’Auge, from Berlin, and they never disappoint.” The Chateau du Breuil, he says, is clean and rounded; the Pays d’Auge, sharper and extra structured. For Armagnac, he turns to Janneau, which is comfortable, barely spiced, and at all times reliable. If you’re in Holland, he recommends choosing up Rutte, a “benchmark” gin distilled at a 150-year-old facility in Dordrecht, about 100 km from Amsterdam.

Kasturi Banerjee, alcobev entrepreneur 

Kasturi Banerjee’s Maka Zai, launched in 2021, was one in all India’s first homegrown craft rums. Since then, the previous banker has expanded her portfolio with Mesma, a limited-edition barrel-aged expression that leans on fragrant complexity. When she’s travelling, Banerjee makes some extent of in search of out native spirits, particularly rums that experiment with indigenous elements. “I look for flavoured rums, especially those using indigenous fruits or spices, and how distilleries are experimenting with not just traditional Asian crops like sugarcane, but also less common ingredients like cashew.” 

She is especially keen on the agricole-style Samui Rum, which is distilled by the Magic Alambic Rum Distillery (La Rhumerie de Samui) on Koh Samui’s quiet southwest coast. Dos Maderas Luxus, a rum aged within the Caribbean after which completed in casks that beforehand held 20-year-old Pedro Ximénez sherry in Jerez, Spain, is one other favorite that she picked up within the UK. Her newest discover is Rosemullion Honey Rum, from Frankfurt. Made in Cornwall, the rum is infused with native honey and herbs. Her whisky picks are rooted in Ireland, and he or she particularly recommends Redbreast for its class and Connemara for its light peat.

Vinayak Singh, co-founder, Dram Club
As co-founder of Dram Club, a group for spirits lovers, Vinayak Singh usually leads whisky excursions to Scotland, and by no means returns with out a bottle of Highland Park 18. “It’s consistently good… I have no idea why it’s overlooked.” Another label that by no means fails to impress is Octomore. “We recently had a tasting of the super heavily peated Octomore 9.3 — it was a big hit.” Both manufacturers, particularly the Highland Park, are sometimes obtainable at duty-free outlets in Southeast Asia, says Singh.