Bottled at 43.8% ABV, the gin is made with cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and olive leaf from three olive varieties, which have been combined with seven Australian botanicals. Gin has been through a thousand revolutions (and will go through a thousand more), and while it’s very much shaken off its Granny tag in Europe, America and Australia, it’s not quite the hipster tipple of choice in South Asia. Not yet, anyway. Nao Spirits founder Anand Virmani is just one of many hoping to change that perception. “The Indian drinks industry is confusing, inconsistent and massive. It’s also mainly geared towards beer and brown spirits,” he told us. “Gin has been seen as an old-person’s drink, and one that holds it rightful place at Gymkhana and the likes. Local Gin is also seen (often quite rightly) as a mass-produced, industrial product.”

The result is an attractive product that draws on temple architecture, numismatics and handicrafts for its design and plays with Indian flavours in a less than obvious manner. A further group was formed of: Marie Cheong‐Thong of The Larder at 36; Masha Twemlow, associate at International Drinks Specialists; and Tobias Gorn, co‐founder and senior partner of International Drinks Specialists, who chaired the panel. It also impressed judges when it came to a tasting of navy strength expressions with its “lovely balance of citrus and herbal, sugary hit up front and bittersweet finish”, securing the product another Master medal. Dimple Athavia, founder of All Things Drinks, chaired a group that included: Joyce Chou, translation project manager at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET); and Sara Jane Eichler, founder of the Negroni Club UK. Goa-based Stranger & Sons was created in 2018 by Sakshi Saigal, Rahul Mehra and Vidur Gupta’s Third Eye Distillery.

Pairs Well With

But other botanicals such as blood oranges, cassia bark, angelica root and rose petals are sourced across India. Gin Gin

The inclusion of turmeric from Tamil Nadu might be a surprise as it is usually only seen in cooking. But the turmeric and also ginger from Assam provide the gin’s aromatic spice. The rest of the botanicals, green cardamon and raw mango are the sweet spices and, lastly, almonds from Goa give this purely Indian gin its smooth finish. A true celebration of Indian ingredients! Other judges on the day included Whisky Squad co‐host Elise Craft, who chaired a panel that included: Stephen Kennard, consultant at SMJK Consulting; and Allison Strydom, founder of GinSquares. Nao Spirits, a start-up by Anand Viramani, Aparajita Ninan and Abhinav Rajput, makes the gin at a state-of-the-art distillery in Goa. The trio were adamant about using Himalayan juniper when they learnt about its use in Ayurvedic medicines in India. However, it took a couple of wild goose chases before Anand finally laid his hands on the elusive ingredient. Lind & Lime is produced at its namesake green-powered distillery in Leith, Edinburgh. The brand was certified organic by the Scottish Organic Producers Association for having minimal impact on the environment.The only London dry gin made in India. Copper pot distilled with botanicals sourced from India and around the world. This gin has clean juniper and fresh lemon peel on the nose and a zing of ginger on the finish. Greater Than is available in Goa, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru, and is great to have as a classic gin and tonic. Stranger & Sons Hapusa Gin is made to a one-shot method on Nao Spirits’ 1000-litre copper pot still, Agatha. All of the ingredients are added to the pot alongside a neutral wheat spirit and driven gently through the copper by distiller Jay Dhawan. Sailing to the top of the Pink Gin flight was Master‐winning Mirabeau Dry Gin. One member of the panel said: “Delicate perfumed nose, lovely and floral with some peppery juniper and a lovely fruity spiced finish, just glorious.” The Gin Masters 2023 competition is the first of two blind tastings dedicated to the category, with the first instalment held at private members club Home House in London.

The LIVE virtual tastings are carried out in the last week of the month. Please keep an eye on our socials for confirmed dates!

This includes Himalayan juniper, orange peel, lemon peel, cardamom, coriander seeds, liquorice, nutmeg, rosemary, aniseed, cinnamon, almond and vanilla. In the Cask Aged flight, González Byass’ London Nº1 Sherry Cask scored highly with the judges for being “light, fresh and fruity with a good balance of complexity”. International Spirits Challenge 2020, USA (Bronza) and San Francisco World Spirit Aards 2018, USA (Silver)