The recently announced results of the International Wine and Spirits Competitions 2022 (IWSC) has recognised 10 Indian spirits as among the best in the world in their respective categories: whiskey, gin and rum.
This year there were more than 4,000 entrants from across the world. In 2020, Stranger & Sons (Third Eye Distilleries, Goa) became the first Indian gin to win gold at the IWSC.
Paul John Mithuna single malt whiskey (95/100 points) was conferred a Gold medal. It is part of the Paul John Zodiac series, and has flavours of coffee mocha, orange peel and gentle spices.
Nao Spirits’ Greater Than No Sleep gin won a Silver medal (92/100 points). It is a limited edition gin that uses 100% Arabica coffee from Chikmagalur (Karnataka), without any sugar or artificial flavours.
Picadilly Distilleries’ Indri-Trini single malt whiskey (91/100) was awarded a Silver medal. It has nutty flavours, with a gentle spice and hints of burnt pineapple, citrus and raisins.
In addition, Indri-Trini was adjudged the best Indian single malt and stood as the category winner (no age statement) at the World Whiskey Awards 2022. It won Gold (Word Whiskey single malt; no age statement) at the International Spirits Challenge, 2022; and was declared winner (Asian whiskey) at Dom Roskrow’s New Wizards Awards 2022.
Paul John’s Oloroso single malt whiskey won a Silver medal scoring 92/100 points. It has fragrances of peach and apricot, with notes of blood orange and molasses.
Paul John’s Pedro Ximenez single malt whiskey also won a Silver medal with 92/100 points. It has flavours of creamy butterscotch, dry fruits and Christmas cake.
Third Eye Distilleries’ Trading Tides gin bagged a Silver medal (90/100 points). Trading Tides was created in collaboration with an Australian distillery, Four Pillars. The citrus-forward gin combines Australian lemon myrtle and river mint with Indian ingredients like kokum, tamarind and mangosteen.
Sanghera Rum Co.’s Five Rivers rum was awarded a Bronze medal. It is a dry Indian spiced rum featuring a mix of cardamom, cassia, ginger, clove and coriander seed, without added sugar.
Khemani Distilleries’ (Daman) Kamanda Premium Café Rhum whiskey won a Bronze medal. It offers a delicious blend of espresso coffee, Jamaican rum and vanilla.
Royal Respect whiskey from Daman won a Bronze at IWSC 2022. This 5-year-old Scotch has a fruity and smoky taste, with notes of vanilla and ripened apple.
Crazy Cock blended malt whiskey from Meher Distilleries also bagged a Bronze. The blend’s rich caramel and vanilla notes won the jury over.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru-based urban lifestyle brand, Salud Beverages, made its mark on the world stage with all three of its entries for the prestigious London Spirits Competition coming away with medals.
Salud G&T 2.0 Lavender won Gold, while Salud G&T 2.0 Cucumber and Salud Sonic walked away with Silver medals.
Where other competitions focused solely on technical competence and distilling prowess, the London Spirits Competitions goes further to evaluate a spirit for its all-around excellence: in the way it tastes, looks and the value it provides.
