More than 50 years ago, the rock band CCR (Credence Clearwater Revival), had a hit song, one of many, called “Have you ever seen the rain?” There’s little risk of that not happening in the town of Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, justly renowned as one of the wettest places on earth. On each of my trips to Meghalaya, I’ve made a silent vow to visit Cherrapunji, which I’ve yet to keep. So I’m doing the next best thing. I’m on my way to a distillery that makes a gin of the same name, aka Cherrapunji, and to add icing to the cake, also uses that very same rainwater in the production.
It’s a beautiful drive from Guwahati airport, once you exit the city limits, and on to the gently curving slopes of the East Khasi Hills via NH 6. The road gradually winds its way up to the picturesque Umiam lake, a massive man-made reservoir. The word Umiam in the local Khasi language literally means “Water of tears”, with a local legend tracing back the lake’s formation to a goddess who literally wept tears of sorrow.
The Cherrapunji distillery is located on a narrow road leading off from the lake, and as I enter the premises, there’s a festive atmosphere, with a singer belting out tunes, a long table set up to feast on some local fare, and a bar on the side churning out G&Ts faster than you can say Cherrapunji.
Across the outer walls of the distillery are written the words, “without rain there is no life,” and as I enter, I see Mayukh Hazarika, the founder, standing next to their 1000 litre iStill and talking to a group of people. I wait till he’s done and then I’ve got his full intention as he shows me the full range of botanicals, all but one sourced from the North-East, and walks me through the production process.
Rainwater harvested from Cherrapunji and used for making the gin of the same name
I notice also the colourful walls of the distillery that replicate in many ways the imagery of the bottle, with images from the bottle, including the Bedford buses and the Khasi fruit pickers with baskets on their back. Also on the wall is a giant photo of a red Panda, whose scientific name is Ailurus Fulgens. The Garo hills In Meghalaya have red pandas, Mayukh informs me, and this almost extinct and endangered species can also be found in Balpakram National Park. Mayukh is so taken by its cause that he’s also named their still after the red panda, calling it Mr. Fulgens.
Cherrapunji uses, amongst other botanicals, Khasi mandarins and the Kaji Nemu (or Assam lemon). Both of these are peeled and dried on site, with the pulp of the mandarin given to jam factories. And a later walk to the back of the distillery bears out his statement as I see the mandarin peels drying in the sun.
The juniper is sourced from Arunachal and Sikkim, with the berries much bigger than
European juniper. The smoked cardamom comes from Sikkim, Sohamrit pepper from the slopes of Cherrapunji, and smoked tea from Manipur, which has a vivid smell. There’s also roasted buckwheat and Taro (from the yam family) that help give the mouthfeel of the gin.
Although Cherrapunji gin as a brand has now been around for a couple of years, what I’m specially here for is to taste and learn more about the new variant that’s just been launched, that quite like a Sloe Gin using the local Sohiong Berries.
Mayukh Hazarika, Founder, Cherrapunji Gin
The Sohiong tree, on which the berry grows, gives fruit after 7 years. The berry itself is sweet and tart and rich in anti-oxidants and vitamins, and also known locally as the Meghalaya Cherry. It also provides tannins to the mouthfeel of the gin. Out of the 30 tons of its annual harvest, Cherrapunji gin is slated to use up to 7 tons of it. The second botanical that makes this variant of Cherrapunji unique is the Cherry Blossom flower, also sourced locally. The flower is dried and added to chamomile sourced from Uttar Pradesh, and this cherry blossom chamomile, along with the Sohiong berries are added to a batch of freshly distilled Cherrapunji gin for a 60 day maceration period.
This is what leads to both the unique colour of this variant, along with the flavour, and there is no sugar added to this gin, with just natural sugars from the berries providing the sweetness. “The flowers are very delicate”, Mayukh tells me, as he pours me a taster of the gin, “and we can’t distil them at heat and therefore the need for maceration to extract the flavour”. So also, with the berries, you’d lose the colour and the tannins if they were distilled along with the other botanicals. Interestingly enough, the cap of the bottle is a 30 ml peg measure in itself, and that’s what Mayukh has used to pour me a shot.
Raincheck Earth, the company that makes Cherrapunji, is clearly on a growth trajectory, with annual sales of ~20,000 cases, exports, and presence in 13 duty free markets across India and the Middle East. Mayukh shows me an area at the distillery that is earmarked for their expansion as they plan to add two more 2000 litre pot stills, in effect ramping up their capacity 5 times. In a world that is moving towards sustainability, local sourcing, and discovery of the wealth in our backyard, Cherrapunji is a great example of a gin that taps into all these sentiments and also executes them brilliantly. It also shows amongst all the clutter of the gin market in India, how a brand can break through with a brilliantly executed product concept, including the very vivid bottle.
Botanicals used for Cherrapunji Gin
