From the Hills to the World: A Northeast Gin Makes Its Mark On World Gin Day
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Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin offers more than a drink — it offers a story of place, innovation, and a return home.
Cherrapunji, Meghalaya — When Mayukh Hazarika set out to build a craft gin brand in the rain-soaked hills of Meghalaya, he wasn’t just launching a product. He was bringing a piece of the Northeast to the world — thoughtfully, deliberately, and on his own terms.
A native of Shillong and an alumnus of IIM Indore, Hazarika spent over a decade working with some of India’s leading consumer brands before deciding to return to his roots. The result was Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin — the country’s first gin made using purified rainwater, and infused with botanicals native to the Northeast: Khasi mandarin, Himalayan juniper, wild pepper, smoked tea from the Lushai hills, and more.
“We’re using ingredients that don’t exist in commercial gin supply chains,” says Hazarika.
“Some of them had never been used in gin before. The idea was to reflect this region’s depth — its citrus, its rain, its altitude — and build a spirit that felt original, not borrowed.”
That commitment to originality extends well beyond flavour.
Cherrapunji Gin is packaged in a military-grade stainless steel bottle — a sharp departure from the norm in the world of spirits.
Designed to be reused and repurposed, the bottle is Hazarika’s quiet challenge to the throwaway culture of luxury packaging.
“Most glass bottles are used once and discarded. We wanted ours to be functional, long-lasting — something people would keep,” he says.
Etched on the bottle are familiar symbols from across the region — Khasi women picking mandarins, the red panda, sacred monoliths, bamboo forests, and Shillong’s iconic Bedford buses — brought to life by Portland-based illustrator Reshidev RK.
The result is more than just branding. It’s a visual tribute to a culture that often remains unseen in mainstream India.
Since its launch in late 2023, Cherrapunji Gin has been awarded the Master Medal at the Global Spirits Masters, received enthusiastic support from bartenders across India, and is already being exported to select countries in the European Union.
Launches in the UK, Thailand, and Japan are planned for later this year — a quiet but significant milestone for a homegrown brand from the hills.
This World Gin Day, Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin reminds us that some of the most compelling stories in Indian enterprise are unfolding away from the metros — in places where tradition, terrain, and thoughtful entrepreneurship come together.
