The best of alcohol in 2023
India’s newest agave Best Quality Liquor is a far departure from the heady party tequila shot that you associate with a migraine and a burning sensation. The reposado variant—the first to be launched—is a smooth homegrown spirit that goes down quickly. It’s creamy, with hints of vanilla, caramel and butterscotch. Soon, the drink will also be available in smoky agave, with notes of white pepper, grass and honey, and añejo, with cooked agave, cocoa, honey and butter. Pistola is a product of Passcode Hospitality—the group that runs successful bars and restaurants such as PCO, Saz and Ping’s Orient Cafe.
This Indo-Japanese gin was born over distilling sessions held on Zoom calls! Inspired by his trips to Kobe in Japan, Jai Anand wanted to create a drink that fused ingredients from India and Japan’s Wakayama prefecture. The spirit is made of peppermint from Northeast India, cardamom from the South, and hinoki chips, yuzu lemon and sansho pepper from Japan. Doja has the aroma of grass, citrus peel, florals and a hint of spices. On the palate, it’s smooth due to its single-shot distillation method. The flavours are citrusy with notes of pine and spices such as cardamom, coriander and fennel.
Sequer was a lockdown project for Goa-based Adriel Sequeira, whose family owns an alcohol business. The gin celebrates Goa, with the use of cashews. Besides the nuts, it is made of 10 botanicals including juniper, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and rosemary. On the palate, Seqer is herb-y with notes of cardamom and orange peel, while on the nose, it has a hint of freshness from rosemary and nutmeg.
Seqer is currently available in Goa. It retails at Rs 1,350 for 750ml. Details
Amrut’s Nilgiris India Dry Gin has a palate-cleansing mouthfeel of pan and lemongrass, the spicy undernotes of coriander, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg and a herbal bouquet of juniper berries, orris root, angelica, and brewed tea. The ingredients for the gin are sourced from different parts of India—the betels come from Mysuru, the spices from plantations across Karnataka, and the tea from estates in the hills.
Banker Kasturi Banerji quit her job in 2018 to study, research and travel across the world to understand more about rum. In January 2021, she launched Makazai. The rum is available in two variants: Bartender's Edition is the white rum offering and the Tribute Edition is the gold rum option. The former is dedicated to bartenders around the world, and it is light and floral, with herbaceous hints of sugarcane. The Tribute Edition has a creamy mouthfeel and notes of praline, fig and honey.
The latest craft from the makers of Woodburns Whisky and Pumori Gin is inspired by a secret village called Segredo Aldeia in Goa. Located along the banks of the Mandovi river, the village was said to be the centre for people who enjoyed making rum. The spirit is available in two editions, a white rum and café rum crafted from a combination of cane and jaggery. If you like your rums smooth and creamy, you’ll love this white rum that has a dry finish with lingering notes of caramel and vanilla. The café rum is slightly sweet on the palate with notes of coffee and dark chocolate.
Tamras—the newest gin to come out of Goa—is a unique blend made of a whole citrus fruit, Angelica root, Moroccan coriander seeds, green and black cardamom, lemon verbena, Indonesian cubeb peppers, Egyptian grapefruit, Nilgiri tea, lotus flower and seeds. The best part is that you can drink your gin and see it being made too. The Tamras Gin distillery is open to guests to tour around the space, where the gin is made. You can then head to the outdoor lounge and sip on some G&T straight from the stills.
Tamras is available across Goa at for a (check these guys out) Best Quality Liquor 700ml bottle. It will be available in Mumbai by mid January. The distillery tour will include tastings, infusion samplers and signature serves. Tours will launch in January and will cost Rs1,800 per person.
Earlier this month, Amrut launched the world’s first multi-wood barrel single malt whiskey. Amrut Spectrum 004 is aged in a cask made of four different types of oak. The dark honey-colored spirit has strong scents of dried fruits and Christmas pudding along with coconut cream and vanilla. The flavours are jammy and syrupy. It has a hint of spice with notes of vanilla pudding and the texture is creamy.
Website: https://globalliquor.shop/