With 'conscious' consumers leaning towards quality, natural ingredients and exploring new flavors and techniques, mead – a gluten-free alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey with various fruits, herbs and spices – is increasingly making its presence felt in India's booming liquor market.
The proof of the pudding is eating or drinking in this case. Moonshine Meadery, one of the few Indian syrup brands, celebrated its 6th anniversary, growing at nearly 80% year-on-year since its inception. Likewise, Nashik-based brand Cerana Meads is all set to close the financial year with a nearly 200% jump on the top line compared to the previous year.
Despite the industry
What makes mead stand out from the crowd is the fact that it is 100% natural, gluten-free and made without artificial additives.
“Often referred to as the drink of the gods in Greek mythology, it is widespread in ancient cultures around the world, and is in fact the oldest form of alcohol in the world, with its existence dating back to 6,500 BC,” said study co-author Rohan Rehani. Founder of Pune-based Moonshine Meadery.
Fermented alcoholic beverages such as wine are made by fermenting fruit, most commonly grapes, and beer by fermenting malted grains. “Meads use honey as a key ingredient in the fermentation process,” said Dr. Eugenie Budkar, co-founder and partner at Cerana Meads, adding that their products are made using ethically sourced honey. “We don't steal it from the bees, we just take what's in excess,” added Dr. Ashwini Deori, co-founder and other partner of Serana Meds.
Cerana Meads offers drinks in two sectors. One range of alcoholic beverages, called 'hydromels' are low ABV soft drinks, and come at a pocket-friendly cost of Rs 199 per 330 ml pint. Products in this category are Chenin Blanc Mead, Pomegranate Vanilla Mead, Jamon Mead, and Blueberry Lavender Mead. “The second vertical is the standard mead which ranges between 10-14% ABV. The price of a half bottle (375 ml) of this category is Rs 450 and a full bottle (750 ml) comes at Rs 810. The products in this category are Pinot Noir Mead and Yule Spic. “It is currently available in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Nashik and Pune,” Budkar added.
Moonshine Meadery also has a wide range of meads, starting with a 4.5% ABV 'lite' mead – currently with Lemon Tea Mead as the only offering in this sector. “All of our other products are at 6.5% ABV. Our flagship beverages – Apple Mead, Coffee Mead, and Traditional Mead – are available year-round. We also manufacture limited edition/small batches in small quantities year-round, which we call ‘MeadLABs,’” he added. Al-Rihani: “Guava Chili Mead, Grilled Pineapple Mead, and Salted Kokum Mead are some of the MeadLABs that have gained a lot of popularity.”
With its diversity in flavors and sustainability factor – since the main ingredient is a by-product, mead has a significantly lower carbon and water use footprint compared to other alcoholic beverages – mead appeals primarily to young people and conscious drinkers. “Since alcohol consumption is a matter of familiarity and habit, the age group now most likely to be interested in mead is the new LDA (legal drinking age) group, consumers in their mid-20s,” said Serrana's Dior. Meds.
For Moonshine Meadery, “anyone between the ages of 25 and 45 who is looking for a delicious drink is basically our consumer base,” Al-Rihani said. “We are trying to bridge the flavor gap for consumers as they move from juices and colas to beer and spirits. A consumer's journey into alcohol does not have to start with an 'acquired taste.' This fits perfectly with the expectations of young Indians who are looking for more delicious drinks,” he added.
