Boarding now: What spirits experts will be picking up from duty-free shops

(Representational image) From aged rum to vermouth and whisky, these are the spirits experts can't wait to buy abroad and at duty-free shops. (Image: Alexandre Debieve via Unsplash)

Shatbhi Basu, mixologist

Basu can’t wait to experience the “sheer joy” of simply discovering new spirits at both duty-free outlets at airports and in other countries. “I want to simply stand and stare at rows of bottles again,” she says. Basu is particularly keen on checking out what the Dutch are up to with regard to whisky. “I have heard great things about the Millstone 100 Dutch Rye whisky, which is distilled by Zuidam, in Holland. It’s made out of 100% rye grain and aged for about 100 months in new American oak barrels.” Basu also hopes to get better acquainted with Four Pillars gin. “I sampled some of it pre-Covid, and fell in love. They have some fantastic expressions, including a Bloody Shiraz gin, steeped with Shiraz grapes, and a Negroni gin,” says Basu.

Khalil Bachooali, ad film-maker and co-founder, Adventurist Spirits

Bachooali, who launched Tamras gin late last year in Goa and earlier this year in Mumbai, has his list down pat. The cocktail enthusiast wants to get good amari. “I’ll be picking up some Amaro Nonino Quintessentia (bitter liqueur made in Friuli, Italy, using grappa and infused with herbs, fruits, and botanicals.) Good, delicate liqueurs are hard to come by in India, and this one makes negronis magical,” says Bachooali. Next on his list is Antica Formula vermouth from Carpano, a fortified, aromatised wine that, while eminently sippable on its own, brings out the best in cocktails. Bachooali also hopes to get his hands on some bourbons, especially the highly elusive Pappy Van Winkle range which is produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, in Kentucky. “It’s a legend among bourbons,” says Bachooali who has also set his sights on Heaven’s Door RedBreast, a straight bourbon finished in Irish whiskey casks.

Vikram Achanta, co-founder and CEO, Tulleeho

Over the last year or so, Achanta has been hearing a lot about Mr Black. “It’s this very caffeinated, cold brew liqueur, and bartenders and mixologists can’t stop talking about it,” says Achanta. Mr Black, made from Australian wheat vodka and Arabica coffee, is produced at the company’s roastery and distillery, near Sydney. Achanta also hopes to carry on from where he left off pre-Covid with Aviation and St George gins. Aviation gin, founded in 2006 in Portland, America, and acquired by Diageo in 2020, might be better-known, thanks to its association with actor and former co-owner Ryan Reynolds, but St Georges is a class act in its own right, says Achanta. “They have this wonderful range of gins, including a Dry Rye Reposado gin, that I can’t wait to go back to.”

Also read: India to resume regular international flights from March 27, 2022

Nikhil Varma, distiller, gin distiller, Amrut Distilleries

Varma, the man behind Amrut Distilleries’ Nilgiris gin, spent most of the lockdown exploring the “world of cocktails”, and now he wants to keep going deeper into it. “So, I’ll be looking for some vermouth from Martini, for sure.” Varma’s also digs American whiskies and he intends to pick up Booker’s whiskey. Booker’s is a small batch barrel-strength bourbon, which is bottled uncut and unfiltered, and Varma also hopes to pick up a bottle or two of Elijah Craig. Like Shatbhi Basu, he thinks highly of Zuidam. “I particularly love their Genever. (Genever, like gin, contains juniper, but is always made from grains.) Their experimentations are inspirational and I am perpetually looking forward to trying their products,” says Varma.

Minakshi Singh, co-founder , Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy and Sidecar

Singh is pretty sure she will pick up some mezcal or sipping tequila to fortify her rapidly depleting home bar collection. But what she is really keen on is rum. “Aged, tropical rums: that’s been my area of interest for the last couple of years and I’m looking to get rum, mostly from the Caribbean,” says Singh, who co-founded Sidecar with mixologist Yangdup Lama in 2018. Late last year, Sidecar was ranked 47th on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. The rums she intends to grab include Appleton Estate and Plantation.