Dasara Gin Launches in India with a Taste of Mysore

Dasara Gin has officially made its way into India, bringing with it a premium craft gin built around the heritage and spectacle of Mysore Dasara.

The gin comes from Shankar Distillers and is actually distilled all the way in Troy, Michigan, using more than 11 botanicals sourced from India, including turmeric, cardamom and orange zest. What you end up with is a spirit that leans on classic juniper but layers in citrus, spice and floral notes along the way.

Behind the brand is entrepreneur Varchasvi Shankar, who drew on his own childhood memories of Mysore Dasara to shape the gin's identity and the story it tells. That connection shows up right on the bottle too. The elephant featured on the label is a nod to the iconic Jamboo Savari procession, and it also reflects Shankar's personal involvement in elephant conservation.

For now, Dasara Gin and its companion expression, Dasara Savari Gin, are launching in Karnataka and Goa, with plans to expand into other premium spirits markets across India from there.

India's gin category has been leaning more and more into regional ingredients, cultural heritage and brands with a real story to tell, and Dasara Gin fits right into that shift. It brings together American craft distilling with an identity that's unmistakably Indian.