Indian Agave Scores ‘Unique’ Points

Most trends in alcoholic beverages begin in the USA and move eastward. Be it the craze for flavoured vodkas that is now a distant memory or the gin revolution that has swept through India in more recent times. In 2022, tequila ousted whiskey as the second most consumed spirit in the USA, and was poised to overtake vodka as the most consumed spirit in the country in the year 2023. In that order of consumption, agave-based spirits too has found their niche and Agave Industries (India) Private Limited may take the credit for being the innovators and creators of the now internationally recognised category of Indian agave spirits.
The company’s agave spirits are made from the agave Americana that has been naturalised on India’s Deccan Plateau. They are distilled at the company’s own distillery, that is projected to be India’s first official craft distillery and the only distillery in Asia to manufacture agave spirits. Their DesmondJi brands of agave spirits are proudly ‘Made in India’ from 100 percent Indian raw materials and belong to the international family of agave spirits that include the Mexican tequila and mezcal. The brands include Desmond Ji 100 percent Agave, Desmond Ji 51 percent Agave and DesmondJi 51 percent Agave Gold.

A Strong Footprint

The company’s agave spirit brands have been doing very well in the limited domestic markets in which they have a presence. In the corporation market of Karnataka, for which sales data is easily available, they have 40 percent of the market share in the category of agave spirits that include tequila and mezcal. “We estimate a similar market share for Goa. Our sales volumes are growing in Mumbai and Pune and our newest market of Telangana is showing much promise,” shares Conrad.
The growth, particularly post the pandemic, has been very encouraging and has led the company to invest in doubling the production capacity at its craft distillery.
Meanwhile, mezcal has also seen astronomical growth from a mere 10,000 cases in 2009 to over a million cases by the year 2021. Brands owned by celebrities that are very recognisable, such as George Clooney and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, have added significantly to the growing popularity of agave spirits, even though their brands may be difficult to come by in India. Alcohol beverage giants like Bacardi and Diageo are also giving special attention to agave spirits in India.

Riding on Cocktails

 The availability of accessibly priced agave spirits distilled to the highest global standards, made right here in India, with which to try classic and contemporary agave cocktails, has helped fuel the excitement surrounding agave spirits. “In our opinion, the premium tequila and other premium agave spirits drinker is the one who enjoys their alcohol, be it in a cocktail, as a straight drink, on the rocks or neat. Given the nascent nature of this category in India, it speaks of an adventurous drinker that’s worldly,” Conrad says. Their consumer is predominantly in urban India, as bulk of the premium agave spirit consumption in India happens in tier-I cities.
“Cocktails are by far the most preferred way of consuming our agave spirits and younger Indians are the major proponents of the cocktail culture. We see our consumers outgrowing their penchant for the Long Island Iced Tea and syrupy flavoured Margaritas and moving towards the Classic Margarita, Paloma, Batanga and a whole range of contemporary agave cocktails,” Conrad adds. According to him, a lot of purists’ sip on the more premium DesmondJi 100 percent Agave spirit as is, or have it with carbonated water, often with a hint of lime and salt to complement the vegetal cooked agave flavour.
Agave spirits, with their robust flavours, lend themselves beautifully to cocktails, allowing for the creation of both, classic and contemporary cocktails that taste far better than spiked mixers.
However, tequila and other agave spirits are still a nascent category of alcoholic beverages in India. “There are however a number of adventurous drinkers in the tier-I cities of India. These are the people who have travelled a fair bit, internationally, and have experienced the growing popularity of agave spirits, particularly in premium contemporary cocktails at the best bars in the world,” Conrad elaborates.

Unique Spirits
Agave spirits stand apart as a unique drink in the world of spirits. Made from the piñas of the agave plants that take many years (8-13 years for the agave Americana) to mature, these spirits have a unique flavour and are comparatively difficult to produce. Most agave spirits are made from raw materials that either take only a few months from planting to harvesting or have seasonal yields. The flavour of cooked agave paired with sweetness, citrus and hints of pepper make agave spirits a lovely base on which to create a plethora of cocktails. Agave spirits, though smooth and delectable when un-aged, also lend themselves beautifully to oak finishing and ageing, allowing for the creation of a multitude of expressions.
Conrad informs that they offer a new category of Indian agave spirit, made from 100 percent Indian raw materials. Their high quality agave spirits are without heavy burden of customs duty and logistics across oceans.
“We have a couple of super premium brands in the pipeline that will be released in limited Indian markets this year. We are in the midst of doubling the production capacity at our distillery to catch up with the demand for our Indian agave spirits, post which we shall look to open up other markets, both within India and abroad,” Conrad informs.

Great Prospects Ahead
Agave Industries (India) has been in the business of manufacturing and selling Indian agave spirits for over 13 years. Before the pandemic, it had been operating at half the distillery capacity but now its agave spirits have really gained in popularity and the company is in the midst of doubling the distillery capacity to keep up with the market demand. “The category of agave spirits, including tequila, mezcal and Indian agave spirits, is looking good at the moment and the prospects for the future are looking bright,” Conrad says.