Have you ever wondered what pre-distilled barley smells or feels like? Or what are the key ingredients that go into the making of your favourite spirits? If you’ve always been curious to know about the intricacies of the liquor industry, now you can do just that, in person, at some of the ‘experience centres’ opened by alcoholic beverage brands across the country. Earlier in April, Piccadily Agro Industries, the parent company of the award-winning Indian single malt whisky brand, Indri, opened its Indri Experience Centre near its distillery in Indri, Haryana.
“Designed to immerse visitors in the rich world of Indian single malts, it’s more than just a visitor centre—it’s a curated journey through the art, science, and passion that go into creating each bottle of Indri single malt whisky,” said Shalini Sharma, head of marketing, Piccadily Agro Industries.At the Indri Experience Centre, visitors can embark on guided distillery tours, deep-dive into exclusive whisky appreciation sessions, and partake in curated experiences with a firsthand understanding of the artistry behind Indri.
Late last year, alco-bev giant Diageo India, through its The Good Craft Co initiative, opened The Flavour Lab in Bengaluru — a “playground to learn the A to Z of Indian craft spirits before they reach a bottle”. “It is a space to bring the ‘grain to glass’ philosophy to life and see the spirits in all their entirety and glory. The idea is to demystify the process and help consumers understand how spirits are made, how ingredients are sourced and what goes into distilling,” said Vikram Damodaran, chief innovation officer, Diageo India.Diageo India is now planning to launch a-first-of-its-kind immersive ‘experience home’, The Flavour Market, in Ponda, Goa, next year.
“This space will be a larger, expansive offering to create, celebrate and appreciate the Indian craft spirit ecosystem and experiences that have not been experimented with earlier on such a scale,” said Damodaran.Meanwhile, if you are travelling to Mumbai, you can now visit the recently opened shop-in-shop boutique of premium spirits maker Suntory Global Spirits, its biggest ever, at the
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. At the new specialty store, an inviting layout design—featuring easy-to-navigate branded wall bays, gondolas, and merchandising pillars—encourages shoppers to discover the group’s extensive range of Scotch, American and Japanese whiskies, including Bowmore, Maker’s Mark, Hakushu and Hibiki. “India stands out as one of the fastest-growing markets in aviation and travel retail, with arrivals driving 70% of sales.
We are confident that our multi-brand space will swiftly transform into a must-visit destination for the many spirits enthusiasts arriving in Mumbai,” said Ashish Gandham, MD, global travel retail, Suntory Global Spirits.While some of these centres are open to the public, some like the Paul John Visitor Centre in Goa, opened by homegrown alco-bev company John Distilleries, offers packages priced from Rs 450 to Rs 1,500, depending on what the customer wants to experience—from touring the distillery to partaking in tasting sessions.
“Visitors can explore our cask storage area and enjoy a tasting session of our signature expressions,” said Heemanshu Ashar, global brand ambassador, Paul John whisky.
While experience centres are a relatively new concept for whisky brands in India, they have been an integral part of wineries for a long time. Sula Vineyards, for instance, offers a guided tour of ‘Domaine Sula’, its vineyard near Bengaluru. As part of the tour, visitors can walk through a winery and understand the process of making wines “from grape to glass”. They can then go on to taste Sula’s award-winning wines in a unique wine tasting room. Visitors can also dine at the restaurants on the premises, while enjoying the wines, and even buy the best Indian wines directly at the vineyard.
