Vodka gets another shot in India, and here's all you need to know about it

In the last decade the spotlight has swung across the bar shelf from the rise of Indian single malts to the entrepreneurial wave of craft gins and the arrival of tequila and agave spirits as sipping sensations All this while vodka quietly watched from the sidelines staying characteristically lsquoneutralrsquoDistilled across the world from grains such as wheat rye or corn and sometimes potatoes vodka carried a different reputation for many rsquo90s kids It was the spirit behind budget bottles questionable decisions and latenight shotsOver the past few months however vodka has begun to return with a new narrative Homegrown brands are introducing fresh expressions that attempt to reposition what was once a notorious shots spirit into something meant to be sipped slowly or mixed into thoughtful cocktailsSpicy kick cocktail Millennials may remember vodka for quick shots and rough nights But after years of quiet neutrality the spirit is staging a comeback as a premium pour PicsShadab KhanBikram Basu managing director of ABD Maestro which recently introduced Rangeela a vodka brand cofounded by actor Ranveer Singh believes the category is finally finding its voice again ldquoVodka never left the conversation but until the past year it didnrsquot really have anything new to sayrdquo Basu notesFor years the category has been dominated by a handful of heavyweights Brands such as Magic Moments Smirnoff Absolut and Grey Goose have held their respective price segments with loyal drinkers What is changing now Basu says is the renewed energy around the category ldquoNew homegrown vodkas are entering the market with far more intent Therersquos new communication stronger advocacy and more cocktaildriven experiences at bars that are reenergising vodka The premium space especially is seeing a wave of Indian launchesrdquoBikram Basu managing director of ABD Maestro notes that the category appears to be finding its voice again with new entrants like Rangeela a vodka brand cofounded by actor Ranveer SinghMokksh Sani founder of Living Liquids and cofounder of Carter Bros which launched Shelter 6 with Badshah too believes the category lacked innovation for years ldquoPeople didnrsquot abandon vodka They didnrsquot have anything new to choose fromrdquo he says Meanwhile competing spirits flooded the market ldquoIn the past few years over 100 gin and tequila labels entered the market slowing vodkarsquos momentumrdquo Sani notes Carter Bros plans to push the category further with seven to eight flavoured expressionsUnlike gin or tequila vodka never experienced a craftled revolution in India ldquoFor most vodka drinkers the journey has simply been about upgrading their bottlerdquo Sani explains ldquoYou move from Magic Moments to Smirnoff to Absolut but consumers rarely want to stretch their budget by more than R200ndash250 at a time Today the gap between Smirnoff and Absolut is nearly R800 and the next jump after that is Grey GooserdquoIn 2025 Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt cofounded TIGERFIRE with Paresh Ghelani a tripledistilled vodka crafted in France using pastrygrade French winter wheat In Maharashtra TIGERFIRE is available for Rs 5370 per 750ml PicInstagramThe shift behind the barBefore the lockdown vodkasodas had a steady following Postlockdown vodka slipped from being a default spirit choice observes bar mixologist Jishnu AJ ldquoOf course there are still patrons loyal to their cosmopolitansrdquo he says ldquoBut over the past year wersquove seen a growing appetite for martinisrdquo At the bar 8ish the Dirty Martini is made with TIGERFIRE a premium vodka launched by Sanjay Dutt that carries a peppery vanilla note ldquoPeople are really savouring the briny profile of that cocktailrdquo Jishnu AJ addsSip donrsquot shootVodka brands are now encouraging drinkers to move beyond shots Rangeela a tripledistilled vodka produced in Aurangabad leans into the flamboyant persona of its cofounder and brand ambassador Ranveer Singh complete with a colourful chameleon mascot that mirrors the brandrsquos playful identity Basu attributes the shift to two clear consumer trends ldquoDrinkers today are willing to pay more for authenticity and theyrsquore also becoming more healthconscious This has led to a rise in sipping culturerdquo he saysIndia he adds remains one of the most demanding markets for building an alcohol brand Each year nearly 15 to 18 million people enter the legal drinking age bracket ldquoEven if 40 to 50 per cent stay away from alcohol you still have seven to eight million curious young adults entering the category Today the cost of retaining a consumer is almost as high as acquiring onerdquoUnlike whisky or gin where brands compete on flavour complexity across the nose palate and finish vodka plays a different role ldquoVodka is not an acquired taste Itrsquos the kingmaker not the kingrdquo Basu says Rangeelarsquos production process aims to reinforce that smoothness ldquoWe use the heart cut or the mid layer which is considered the finest portion of the distillate The spirit is then chilledfiltered between 2 and 12 degrees Celsius to remove impurities followed by platinum filtration for added smoothness As a signature touch we finish it with a hint of grape spiritrdquo Basu explainsNew generation new vibeA generational shift is also reshaping the category If the consensus is to be believed unlike Millennials who drank to get drunk Gen Z is curtailing the number of drinks while choosing a premium experience In 2023 28yearold Les Roches graduate Mirat Rajguru launched Lucid Rs 1350 a sipping vodka available in Goa ldquoIn the last decade vodka became the underdog We are in a time when many stigmas around men drinking vodka have been broken especially among Gen Z Instead of going all out they prefer having one drink but the most premium one available in the range With vodka what yoursquore consuming does make a very big differencerdquo says RajguruLucid follows a tripledistilled process filtered through carbon silver and platinum Rajgurursquos interest in vodka began through a Russian roommate who advised ldquoIf you overdo filtration the vodka becomes a bit too crisp and tastes slightly sharp Russians like that but the Indian audience prefers a sweeter note The trick is to chill the bottle in the freezer for two hours Then pour it in your glass add ice and siprdquoHer target audience is aged 25 to 30 Millennials are the secondary marketGlobal purviewldquoIn India consumers are largely paying for the brandrdquo says Paritosh Bhandari founder Tipple Brands UK pointing to the outsized role of packaging positioning and experience over taste This also explains why vodka struggles as a sipping spirit nearly 60ndash70 per cent of sales come from flavoured variants reflecting a demand for more engaging profilesVarun Jain founder of Smoke Lab which launched in the US market in 2019 explains that the US is the biggest market in the world for vodka ldquoIndia as a widespread market is growing at 57 per cent with the start of premium Smirnoff till Beluga selling around 10 lakh cases monthly In the US it sells 95 crore cases We have sold over 160000 casesrdquo says JainWhile tequila has a 1 per cent market share in India and the urban crowd is going gaga over it its sales compared to vodka are minimal ldquoThe tequila market is saturated in the US but is going strong in India with preference to homegrown and artisanal brands in the metros and imported ones in Tier 2 Tier 3rdquo he concludes5 to 737Growth rate of vodka market in India160000cases sold by Smoke Lab vodka since its launch in 2019