For decades, Indian drinks remained largely overlooked in international markets. While Indian whisky has recently gained global recognition, heritage spirits such as mahua and feni are not exported or commercialised at scale. Many of these spirits have existed for centuries, often produced in village stills and family homes long before they reached premium shelves. Mahua, considered one of India’s indigenous spirits, was even outlawed during the British Raj before being legalised again within the last decade.
“That combined with a huge interest and influx of money going into the drink space in India seemed like the right time to take this forward and really professionalise these drinks and make them palatable for the premium market,” says Adam RV Jacob, Co-Founder and Director of Maharaja Drinks Emporium Limited, an early-stage company focused on bringing Indian-made drinks to the UK market.
Building a brand around cultural heritage requires a willingness to let tradition speak for itself. Jacob has built Maharaja Drinks around the idea that heritage branding only works when craftsmanship and authenticity remain intact. “The big thing is respect for the original drink,” he says. “Some of our heritage drinks may confound expectations so what we have to do is to have faith that the drink and the consumer will make a match.”
Heritage as a Competitive Advantage
At a time when consumers are actively seeking products with deeper cultural roots and clearer provenance, Jacob believes the future of Indian drinks lies not in adapting them to fit Western expectations, but in presenting them honestly.
That shift has created an opportunity for heritage branding rooted in cultural authenticity rather than nostalgia. Maharaja Drinks curates a range of Indian drinks, including heritage spirits, with an emphasis on preserving the stories behind them while applying modern quality standards. The result is not simply a catalogue of products, but a form of brand storytelling that connects consumers to regions, traditions, and makers they may never have encountered otherwise.
Experimentation Is Driving Indian Spirits Forward
India’s drinks industry is benefiting from a freedom many older markets no longer possess. Unlike traditional whisky regions bound tightly to centuries of convention, Indian producers are experimenting aggressively with techniques, botanicals, and flavour profiles. “India is now the new place settling itself firmly into the new world description of wine and spirits,” he says. “It’s about the fact that it’s something new, something different.”
Indian whiskies are now winning international blind tastings and gaining credibility among serious collectors and drinkers. Meanwhile, producers are applying Indian ingredients and perspectives to globally recognised categories such as vermouth and liquers.
Jacob points to one winery experimenting with a genetically modified grape developed alongside an Indian university laboratory. The resulting wine carried the flavour profile of rose water Turkish delight without additives. “You take that to a winemaker in France or Italy and their head would explode,” he says. The objective is not to imitate European traditions, but to contribute something genuinely original to the category. That distinction is central to how to build a heritage brand without diluting cultural identity.
Heritage as a Competitive Advantage
At a time when consumers are actively seeking products with deeper cultural roots and clearer provenance, Jacob believes the future of Indian drinks lies not in adapting them to fit Western expectations, but in presenting them honestly.
That shift has created an opportunity for heritage branding rooted in cultural authenticity rather than nostalgia. Maharaja Drinks curates a range of Indian drinks, including heritage spirits, with an emphasis on preserving the stories behind them while applying modern quality standards. The result is not simply a catalogue of products, but a form of brand storytelling that connects consumers to regions, traditions, and makers they may never have encountered otherwise.
Experimentation Is Driving Indian Spirits Forward
India’s drinks industry is benefiting from a freedom many older markets no longer possess. Unlike traditional whisky regions bound tightly to centuries of convention, Indian producers are experimenting aggressively with techniques, botanicals, and flavour profiles. “India is now the new place settling itself firmly into the new world description of wine and spirits,” he says. “It’s about the fact that it’s something new, something different.”
Indian whiskies are now winning international blind tastings and gaining credibility among serious collectors and drinkers. Meanwhile, producers are applying Indian ingredients and perspectives to globally recognised categories such as vermouth and liquers.
Jacob points to one winery experimenting with a genetically modified grape developed alongside an Indian university laboratory. The resulting wine carried the flavour profile of rose water Turkish delight without additives. “You take that to a winemaker in France or Italy and their head would explode,” he says. The objective is not to imitate European traditions, but to contribute something genuinely original to the category. That distinction is central to how to build a heritage brand without diluting cultural identity.
Building Loyalty Through Direct Relationships
While many beverage companies scale rapidly through distributors and intermediaries, Maharaja Drinks has taken a more hands-on path. “We wanted to have direct relationships with the supplier,” Jacob says. “Not just a representative of the business, but going out and meeting each of the winemakers, distillers, brewers, etc.”
Jacob and the founding team have personally visited suppliers across India, meeting distillers, winemakers, and craftspeople behind every product they stock. Maharaja Drinks now stocks around 130 products, each personally tasted by the founders before entering the portfolio. The process allows the company to maintain tighter quality control while building credibility with customers seeking authentic Indian beverages.
It also reinforces the company’s direct-to-consumer strategy. Rather than relying on supermarket placements, Maharaja Drinks focuses on e-commerce and personalised recommendations. “We know all the products we stock really well,” he says. “If you’ve got something you’re interested in, we can make suggestions. It’s not just a chatbot that you’re getting all the time.”
The Growing Global Appetite for Indian Drinks
Broader market trends are also helping accelerate interest in Indian products. Although the India-UK Free Trade Agreement does not benefit Indian whisky imports, Jacob believes the wider visibility of premium Indian goods is reshaping perceptions among UK consumers. “The story is the most attractive thing and that’s what’s going to bring a lot of people in to begin with,”
Contact Adam RV Jacob on LinkedIn or visit his website for more information..
