Kasturi Banerjee, Founder & Director of Stilldistilling Spirits India, discusses with Rojita Tiwari about the story of the homegrown manufacturing and blending company, as well as India’s newest premium artisan rum, Maka Zai.
The popularity of rum across the globe is often eclipsed by the severe perception problem in most countries including the Caribbean, the birthplace of rum. The same is the case in India. Their passion for rum, on the other hand, prompted them to experiment with blends, research, and comprehend developing trends in the beverages sector, and steered this ex-banker towards recognizing a market potential in the premium rum category.
Kasturi worked in the financial service industry for over 16 years across various departments, in India and Singapore before pursuing a bartending internship in 2019 and then becoming one of the first-gen alco-bev entrepreneurs in the country. She started her entrepreneurial journey after several certifications, training, research, and tasting of blends.
With a vision to elevate drinking experiences, she set up Stilldistilling Spirits in 2020, a homegrown manufacturing and blending company that produces Maka Zai – A premium craft rum out of Goa. Maka Zai has two variants – White & Gold and is available across 140+ retail stores as well as 40+ bars, restaurants and five-star hotels in Goa.
Maka Zai means ‘I want’ in Konkani (a dialect spoken in coastal Maharashtra & Goa), it aims to elevate the drinking experience, by providing a high-quality craft rum choice that is pioneering the Indian spirits industry. “India really has the perfect conditions to create premium craft rums with flavor, which comes from our climate to the soils in which the sugarcane grows, and the overall environment. This made us look at two variants,” said Kasturi.
Maka Zai White Rum is made with sugarcane grown in and around the Panchaganga river in Maharashtra. Because the fermentation and distillation take place in the region where the cane is grown, the rum picks up the influences of red soil, making it floral, sweet, spicy, and herbaceous.
This crystal clear, complex, vibrant, and medium-bodied white rum is packed with funky tropical characteristics in every sip, paying homage to the unsung passion and talent of those bartenders who have enough stories for many lifetimes – which is why it is part of the Bartender’s Edition.
Maka Zai Gold Rum (Tribute Edition) – a high-quality and matured rum that is blended on the Goan seashore. Hints of praline, dry dates, figs, caramel, cinnamon, and honey create a symphony of notes to make this spirit stand out. Together with a creamy mouthfeel and a well-rounded vanilla accent, it is a perfect dessert and sipping rum. Its silky, elegant, and approachable charm gives the feeling of a sunny, late afternoon.
What makes the rum special? “We are a homegrown and independent distillery that serve up ‘micro-marvels’ of Maka Zai rum, that help elevate your drinking experience. We also pride ourselves on being a craft rum that is Made in India and uses ingredients sourced only from India. So really, our products are our USP. Right from our glass bottles, labels, and caps – to all the ingredients used to make our craft rum. Therefore, our carbon footprint is very small, and something we are proud of. Acing the blending is also key, which required multiple trials till we were able to get the right balance,” she added.
There are heritage spirit suppliers in India who have varied categories, and an array of matured spirits one can choose from. So, the producers of Maka Zai began sampling different categories till they found that the blend of 2.5 years oak barrel-aged cane-spirit, combined with the molasses spirit brings out the perfect blend and flavor of the Gold Edition Maka Zai rum. And, for the White Rum, they use molasses spirit.
She said: “To create the perfect blend and texture, we use the finest raw materials that are sourced from the North and Western part of India. And we do not use any additives to make our rum – this also helps keep all the tastes and flavors natural”.
Interestingly, the popular tourist destination, Goa, has become a manufacturing hub for many homegrown spirits in recent times. The ease of laws pertaining to liquor production and marketing is one of the key factors. However, for Maka Zai it holds another meaning as explained by Kasturi. “Our ambition and dedication are represented by a tiny yet marvellous creature – The Olive Ridley turtle.
Born on Goan soil in which we have our roots, it begins its perilous journey and travels up to 9000km, but always makes its way back home. Goa also has the perfect climatic conditions to distill high-quality craft rum – hot, tropical weather, an abundance of sugarcane, and lots of love. So we said, why not?
In addition, the Goan bar owners and bartenders are young and dynamic, professional in their approach, supportive of home-grown brands, and have a passion for hospitality. And last but not the least, the Goan consumer, they are hospitable and receptive like the state they belong to, open to embrace outsiders, and give anything new a fair chance.”
Currently, Maka Zai is available only in Goa. Due to the current situation in India and the world, the company has decided to keep its geographic expansion plans on hold for now.
The domestic rum market in India is currently a 42.5 million case market (as per the IWSR 2019 report), and 92% of these volumes are in the entry-level dark rum category; therefore, there is immense potential to grow and scale the premium category.
That being said, the premium rum segment is at its nascent phase. But the makers of Maka Zai believe that it will continue to grow similar to other segments in the alco-beverage space, as consumers are given more choice and access to craft-rums.
The pandemic hasn’t deterred the launch of many new spirits in the last year. Commenting on the experience of launching a product during a pandemic, she said: “It has been amazing; however, given the current situation we were needed to adapt our plans.
Luckily, we are agile – so we have spent a lot of time focusing on various training programs, workshops, and more. In fact, we just concluded our first edition of the Maka Zai Aspire program that’s focused on supporting and upskilling bartenders across India. I have to say though, the kind of support and collaboration we have received thus far has been incredible.”