Vanaha Artisanal Gin is made by Revelry Distillery in Goa from botanicals gathered across India. Twenty-four botanicals gathered across India go into it, among them deodar wood, palash flowers, Assam lemon, pine tips, Sikkim mandarin, patchouli, cacao nibs and teppal pepper, and the gin is bottled at 42.8% ABV.

Five steps take the plants into the spirit: botanical maceration, copper pot distillation, vapour infusion, cold vacuum distillation and a final staging before bottling. The distillery presents it as India's first gin built on a five-stage process, and the point of all that machinery is practical, since delicate flowers and hard woods cannot be treated the same way. Vanaha is the first release from Revelry Distillery, founded by Vaniitha Jaiin in the Sattari region of northern Goa.

Deodar and pine tips bring a resinous, evergreen scent while Assam lemon and Sikkim mandarin add freshness. Makrut lime leaves have a particularly sharp aroma, coriander and teppal pepper warm the palate, and angelica and orris lend a dry, earthy depth. Cacao nibs add a darker note, patchouli an earthy perfume, and palash flowers the floral side. Citrus is clearest at first, then herbs and wood, then a gently spiced finish, and juniper stays perceptible throughout even with this many ingredients in play.

The distillery suggests a Gin and Sonic, tonic and soda together, the soda keeping the drink dry. For a simpler serve, pour 4cl over ice and add 10cl of a clean Indian tonic, with a narrow orange twist and one makrut lime leaf in the glass. Use a single leaf, since its scent easily overpowers the citrus. Once the ice begins to melt the spice softens and the Assam lemon and mandarin become easier to notice.