Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin has launched a new expression, Mountain Berry Gin with Cherry Blossom, adding a highland botanical profile to its Meghalaya-based portfolio. Distilled from rainwater and produced without sweeteners or colouring, the gin aims to highlight ingredients native to the Cherrapunji–Mawsynram region.
In a win that places Northeast India on the global spirits map, Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin, distilled in the rain-soaked hills of Meghalaya, has been awarded the prestigious Double Gold Medal at the 2025 SIP Awards held in California, USA — the world’s only major spirits competition judged exclusively by consumers.
A native of Shillong and an alumnus of IIM Indore, Hazarika spent over a decade working with some of India’s leading consumer brands before deciding to return to his roots. The result was Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin — the country’s first gin made using purified rainwater, and infused with botanicals native to the Northeast: Khasi mandarin, Himalayan juniper, wild pepper, smoked tea from the Lushai hills, and more.
The spirit, produced in small batches using traditional copper stills, is distilled from naturally harvested rainwater sourced from Cherrapunji and Mawsynram — the two wettest places on Earth.
