Tired of the same old scotch? You have to pour a new

In 2020, when Stranger and Sons Guin took a gold outstanding medal at the annual International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London, it was clear that Indian souls were no longer on the shore. The so -called ‘Jin Revolution’ had arrived, and with it, how Indian souls were considered both at home and abroad.

The ‘premiumment’ became a discussion, and suddenly, the consumers were not just drinking alcohol – they were searching, curating and investing in their bottles. Now, a few years below the line, another innings is going on. And this time, this is the turn of whiskey.

Third Eye Distillery, the name behind the Stranger and Sons, is now attracting its attention to Bhamoth, which is the whiskey market in India, with the launch of other sub -institutional whiskey – a domestic mixture that is India’s tropical extreme Hugs boundaries.

Whiskey is a serious business in India. The country is the largest consumer of the soul in the world, with a market that is heavy to scotch and scotch-inspired blends. According to Statista, in 2025, India’s whiskey market is estimated to generate about 17.5 billion US dollars (₹ 1.5155 trillion) in revenue from home consumption, with a 3.2 billion liter expected volume.

But as Rahul Mehra, CEO and co-founder of Third Eye Distillery, explains, there is a difference in the market-a few years ago that shows the scene since a few years ago. “Whiskey in India still dominate Scotch or products that mimic Scotch. India, with its unique climate and geography, can bring it to the table, there is no true embrace. ,

Past and present

The story of India’s whiskey has long been associated with imported scotch, a colonial hangover that still affects drinking habits. The decades after independence were seen in large-scale produced, the rise of jaggery-based whiskey. The premium whiskey was located to a large extent untouched by the Indian players, survived for some outlers such as Amrut, Paul John and Rampur, which placed the Indian single malt on the global map.

But the place of mixed whiskey, everyday cast, remained largely without stopping. Consumers either arrived for familiar international names or settled for local mixtures who played it safely. However, other people want to change it.

Born in tropical

Older in various climate of India and distilled in Goa, others embrace heat, monsoon, and shifting seasons that affect maturity in cold climate that could never. “Scotland has set rules, but they do not apply here,” says Rahul. “A whiskey who takes 12 years in age develops in India in just four to five years. Conversation with wood, climate-driven maturity-this is some distinctive Indian, and we must own it. ,

Unlike Scotch, which follows strict regional and production rules, others are defined their own location. It is a mixed Indian whiskey who is fully aged in India, using a Solera process in the East-Borbon barrel that takes depth and complexity.

Others, briefly, complex is yet acceptable. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“We are not trying to make an Indian scotch.” We are making an Indian whiskey that actually represents where it is from. ,

So, what do others really like? In short: The complex is yet acceptable. Rahul says, “There is an infallible feeling of ground and sea wind, when you are on a beach, the kind of wind you smell,” Rahul says. “A small sign of smoke, a depth that makes it feel like a full whiskey.”

This balance, he notes, comes from used malts, aging process and the environment in which it matures. Result? A whiskey is favorable to drink everyday, sometimes dipped, and even cocktails. “We drink in this way, so we are excluding a whiskey that fits in how we really drink.”

Changing a sip at a time, a sip at a time

While Indian singles malts have been recognized, mixed Indian whiskey is still facing challenges. Despite India’s massive consumption numbers, premium Indian mixtures are often rejected in favor of Scotch. But consumer habits are developing.

With the rise of homegron craft souls, there is a growing hunger for authenticity – products that reflect their perfection rather than mimicking foreign benchmarks. Instead of mimicking Scotch, how American whiskey carried out his way, likes India’s whiskey industry at an intersection. The question is whether India can make a great whiskey, but can it make its mark.

Along with others, the third eye distillery is leaving bets later. Rahul believes, “Whatever was happening in India, it was bored with it.” “The experience of drinking was missing. People were being sold whiskey from where it was, not how it was really. This did not encourage us as consumers, so we decided to change it. ,

looking ahead

Others first launch in Goa and Mumbai, followed by Haryana and Karnataka. The idea is also to move the story. “Not all whiskey drinks play chess,” Rahul jokes, refer to the imagery of the old school that often surrounds the drinks. “This is the time to take whiskey out, to be free from hard traditions and simply have fun with it.”

Now the challenge is to get the ‘liquid to lips’ – consumers to have some different experiences and to see if it is resonant. If the revolution that had to do anything, then Indian whiskey can only be the next big thing.