Yuzu and Indian spices mingle in this Indo-Japanese gin

Spices meet botanicals

Gin is always made with a neutral spirit combined with distilled water and that’s what Doja uses as base. But the magic comes from the mix of botanicals, the distillation process, the recipe, and having an experienced master distiller. Jai ensured he ticked all these boxes with Doja.

Explains Jai, “India has great spices and botanicals. Japan, besides having great botanicals, has built a reputation for high-quality spirits globally. The idea, therefore, came together to create something unique – the world’s first Indo-Japanese gin.”

Japanese gins are usually mild and soft, but strong in alcohol. The obligatory juniper is accompanied by exciting botanicals such as ginger, native herbs, rare citrus fruits like Dai Dai, Yuzu and Kabosu, green Matcha and Gyokuro tea, stem, blossom and leaves of the cherry blossom.

Given the superiority of Indian spices, Jai felt, these would lend themselves perfectly to a gin where Japanese botanicals are used. He elaborates, “Indian spices provide the structure of Doja gin. We put fennel, coriander, green cardamom and Himalayan peppermint. These help the Japanese botanicals show and work like a marvel. Our Japanese Master Distiller Tsui San determined which Indian botanicals matched with the base Japanese botanicals selected.”

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Trial shot

It took East Side Distillery 47 distillation trials to match the Japanese recipe and taste, says Jai.

Doja uses a method of distillation called single shot. Once the gin is distilled through a steaming process, it is blended with demineralized water to a bottling strength of 42.8% ABV. This method retains essential oils from the botanicals and gives the drink a silky mouthfeel.

Small batch gin is always handmade, using equipment designed over centuries, the old-fashioned way. “We use a copper still from Holstein, Germany, one of the traditional manufacturers of still. Using a copper still helps in giving smoothness to the gin with no alcohol burn, as you sip. The Head Distiller, like ours in Goa, then personally checks each distillation to determine what gets bottled,” explains Anand.

A sip and drink format beverage, Doja is best enjoyed on the rocks, with a dash of water or soda, according to Jai.

Copper still from Holstein, Germany.

Naturally, Goa

Not only is Goa an important market, but it sits between two other key markets Mumbai and Bangalore. “Today, Goa is a melting pot of India where millions of Indian and International tourists come. We want to be part of that experience that they take back home, and become our customer base in their cities,” says Jai.

Influenced by Japan’s art, design, and sense of futurism, the package design of Doja is consistent with the young branding and has been worked upon by UK designers. Jai says, it has “a holographic foil which stands out and a bottle design from an apothecary range. The bottle carries a QR tag that takes you to our website botanical page...”

Priced at Rs 2,050, Doja has begun distribution in Goa and is available at leading alcohol stores and bars across the State.

Also read: Stock your home bar with these new spirits this festive season