Hapusa, the Himalayan dry gin from Nao Spirits, bagged a Gold medal at the recently held The International Wines & Spirits Competition 2021.
Significantly, as in past years, none of the ‘global; gin brands won a Gold Outstanding or Gold medals. Instead, craft distillers dominated the gin category, many coming from countries that have not been traditional gin producers.
Over 250 judges drawn from across country evaluated several wines and spirits across 1,500 different categories in the global wine & spirits awards. The official tasting review shared by the IWSC judging panel for Hapusa stated, “A powerful and wonderfully fragrant gin, with pronounced and complex juniper on the nose. The palate is smooth with citrus and Himalayan Juniper working together to create a stunning end-product. A delicious saline character runs seamlessly through the mouthfeel giving a long, incredibly satisfying length.”
Talking about this achievement, Anand Virmani, Co-founder, CEO and Distiller at Nao Spirits & Beverages said, “This has come as a very welcome surprise! We have been swimming against the current right from day one, which has required us to keep our heads down and keep plugging away. A Gold at the IWSC is a truly humbling experience and an affirmation of our steely focus on quality and staying true to the brand. It shall surely prove to be a shot in the arm for our small team of enthusiastic over-achievers as we take Hapusa to more states in India and many countries far beyond our borders.”
Launched in 2018, Hapusa has established within India and 15 countries. Created with foraged Himalayan Juniper berries, it has an Indianised touch with botanicals like Raw Mango, Gondhoraj and Turmeric.
The brand has also won a Double Gold and Gold medal at the SIP Awards (2020, 2021), Best Contemporary Gin (India) at the World Gin Awards 2019; and a Silver medal at San Francisco World Spirit Awards 2018 among others.
Produced and distilled in Goa, Hapusa is currently available in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa in India. It is also available in the UK, USA, Singapore, Hong Kong and European countries like Norway, Italy, Germany, Austria and Hungary among others.
