From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, Oct 30: “It’s in your GENES” refers to any genetic information. The adage sounds all too appropriate for the upcoming nationwide “Cherrapunji Gin”, which is made from rainwater collected in the wettest location on earth and combined with other ingredients and fruits grown nearby.
A Shillong native named Mayukh Hazarika is making the most of his memories of the area’s torrential downpours to come up with the Cherrapunji Gin.
Knowing that the spirits business required a lot of water, Hazarika capitalised on it. He chose to use rainwater gathering rather than groundwater or other traditional aquatic sources as a result.
Hazarika wants to provide some of that rain to the over a million visitors who come to Cherrapunji each year. All alcohol is diluted; only about 43% of the alcohol is spirit and the remainder is distilled water. Rainwater is distilled water.
He, therefore, used a naturally occurring free component that had a fantastic geographic identifier. The botanicals used to make the recipe come from all over the Northeast, and it was created in partnership with a master distiller in the Netherlands.
Hard ingredients like cardamom from the Garo highlands, peppercorns from the Khasi highlands, fragrant peels of the Kaji Nemu (Assam lemon), and juniper from Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are all purchased straight from the farmers.
Additionally, there is the incredibly fascinating infusion of Lushai Hills’ (Mizoram) second-flush tea. During trials, Hazarika personally preferred the flavour of Lapsang Souchong; this tea is the closest to it and gives the gin a creamy, smokey taste.
Hazarika took a distilling course in the Netherlands last year; he is a hobbyist distiller rather than a professional. He created a clear plan at home, which finally resulted in Cherrapunji Gin’s debut in Meghalaya last month.
The components that make up Cherrapunji Gin’s uniqueness are rich and plentiful from the Northeast. Hazarika gets his water from two rainwater gathering facilities: one at his company’s distillery in Shillong, close to Umiam, and the other in Mawsynram, which his company Raincheck Earth claims is the wettest area on earth.
The gin is distilled, square-shaped imported from the Netherlands, and “highly energy efficient”.
When cases are carried, it emits less carbon dioxide because it is far lighter than a glass container.
The Cherrapunji Gin is already available in Meghalaya and is expected to be stocked in Delhi and Mumbai by the beginning of next year.