Indian craft gin launched in UK
India’s first craft gin brand, > [Greater Than] London Dry Gin, has been launched in the UK by Nao Spirits.
Founded by Anand Virmani and Vaibhav Singh, Greater Than gin is distilled in copper pots in Goa and infused with pure botanicals sourced from India and around the world. The gin has clean juniper and fresh lemon peel on the nose, with a zing of ginger on the finish.
Launched in India in September 2017 by two young bar owners and entrepreneurs – Anand Virmani and Vaibhav Singh, Greater Than is now one of India’s leading brands in a competitive gin market. The two noticed that while the world was going through a ‘Gin-aissance’, India, the country where the G&T was invented and where exotic gin botanicals are found in most home kitchens, was behind the times.
The pair travelled to Goa for a three-year masterclass in gin-making, before recruiting Anne Brock, a board member of the Gin Guild, to work with them in setting up and refining their own distillation process.
Anand Virmani, CEO Nao Spirits said: “India and the UK are forever tied together in the history of gin. If not for the English, we would not have had our first sip of gin and if not for India, the English would never have discovered the gin & tonic. The ties between the two countries of course have become tighter over time and it seemed only natural to us to produce an authentic Indian gin.”
Initial response to Greater Than in the UK has been positive, from both consumers and the trade, with stock selling out at each of the gin shows its participated in, including the recent Junipalooza.
