Gin as a drink is not so popular in India as beer and whiskey. However, home-grown distillery Nao Spirits & Beverages is among the few attempting to bring about a craft gin revolution in India. The task is anything but easy, given the wide variation in guidelines across states.
Anand Virmani, Co-Founder & Master Distiller, Nao Spirits & Beverages, says that a bottle of Greater Than (one of their top gin brands) destined for Karnataka must often be produced and labelled differently from one sold in Maharashtra. As each state operates as a separate market with different excise rules, label requirements, and SKUs, domestic distribution becomes highly complicated.
“That creates a very specific operational challenge: we don’t produce without a confirmed order. If Karnataka is going to pick up 100 cases, we will make 100 cases. We can’t afford to produce a thousand and hope they move, because the volatility of state-level demand doesn't allow for that kind of speculation. Globally, it’s actually much simpler because one label travels everywhere,” Virmani contends. “International distribution is actually more straightforward compared to India; one label travels everywhere.”
