INDIA – Diageo India has launched its first sensory experience home, The Flavour Lab by The Good Craft Co, in Bangalore, with the aim of promoting Indian craft spirits.
The Flavour Lab is a part of Diageo India’s broader initiative, The Good Craft Co, established in 2022 to foster innovation and growth within India’s spirits startup ecosystem.
The Flavour Lab brings together Indian craft stories, ideas, and the craft spirits community under one roof, providing a platform to nurture innovation.
This marks Diageo India’s first global direct-to-consumer experiential ecosystem, centered on education, advocacy, empowerment, and appreciation for Indian craft spirits and their makers.
Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer at Diageo India, shared the vision behind the initiative, saying, “The Good Craft Co started with a vision to take Indian exceptionalism and craft in the spirit-making process to the global stage. With the launch of The Flavour Lab in Bangalore, we are not just fulfilling that vision but opening the doors to so much more, elevating Indian craft spirits and empowering the community of makers around it.”
Dubbed a ‘playroom for craft spirits,’ The Flavour Lab offers visitors a curated experience through four interactive zones.
In the first zone, guests are greeted with a welcome drink to prepare their palate for the immersive three-hour experience. The second zone, known as The Academy, educates visitors about the rich story of Indian craft spirits.
The third zone, The Walkthrough, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Diageo India’s secretive R&D labs, including the separation, incubation, and molecular labs. To conclude, visitors in zone four can test their palate at the bar and even blend their own whisky using micro-quantities of malt and grain distillates.
The success of the Bangalore experience has led Diageo India to plan the launch of another venue, the Flavour Market, at its Ponda Distillery in Goa by December 2025.
The Ponda Distillery, revived in 2017, now produces six kilolitres per day and houses approximately 25,000 maturing casks.
Diageo India’s commitment to craft spirits is evident in its product launches over the past three years. These include Epitome Reserve, a limited-batch collector’s edition, and Godawan, an artisanal single malt from Rajasthan.
The company’s financial performance has also been strong.
In the first quarter ending June 30, 2024, Diageo India reported a 25.6 percent year-on-year increase in profits, reaching Rs 2.99 billion (US$35.7 million), with net sales growing by 8.3 percent to Rs 2,352 crore (US$28.1 million).
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