‘Every bottle of spirits has a tale to tell’

By Vishnu Makhijani

New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) Every bottle of alcohol has a tale to tell and to celebrate this, over 20 international masters, distillers, mixologists and story tellers will gather in Mumbai over the weekend on a platform that celebrates the craft of distillers and distilleries. It will also be a rite of passage for the new consumer who is open to experiencing luxury beverages that are a product of passion and commitment and are produced in small batches, without any compromise on quality.

"Every bottle has a tale, waiting to be shared - of its founder, of the distiller, of the wood in which it lay, of the people who built the spirit, of the mixologist who decided to `play' with it and more. Listen, learn and celebrate the people behind the spirits," Keshav Prakash, who began his career as an advertising filmmaker and then travelled the world to discover the world of fine spirts, told IANS of The Vault Biennale at the Mahalakshmi Race Course.

"The craft of distilling is very ancient and recipes have been handed down generations. To me, food and spirits are very culture-centric and each dish or drink is an experience of this culture and have a lot of story to it.

"For example, making whiskey is a tradition native to Scotland, much like rum to the Caribbean, Mezcal to the Mexico and so on. These are parts of their values and teachings handed over from generation to generation, with much love and celebration, making it an intrinsic part of a living culture," Prakash explained.

The event is open to only 400 aficionados each day.

"We envision two kinds of visitors at the Biennale - one who are newly immersing themselves in fine spirits and others who know their single malt, gin, whiskey etc. The aim is for the curated audience to meet curated brands and learn about their stories. We consciously wanted to create a small, well-curated festival that encourages such conversations amongst the visitors," Prakash elaborated.

What will be on offer?

Over 50 handpicked fine beverage brands like Kilchoman Machir Bay, R?my Martin, Cotswolds Gin, and Amrut Peated Port Pipe. Leading the audience will be mixologists from World's 50 Best Bars, among them Hiroyasu Kayama of Tokyo, Alex Simonidis & Georgia Georgakopoulou of Athens and Jose Luis Leon of Mexico City.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be contacted at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)