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Diageo India opens craft experience home
Diageo India is opening its first sensorial experience home, The Flavour Lab by The Good Craft Co, in Bangalore to promote Indian craft spirits.
Established in 2022 under Diageo India, The Good Craft Co aims to foster a thriving ecosystem of startups across the Indian spirits industry.
Opening its doors on Saturday 21 September in Bangalore, The Good Craft Co experience home – The Flavour Lab – will bring together Indian craft stories, ideas, and the craft community, nurturing new innovations under one roof.
The experience home is Diageo India’s first global initiative to build a direct-to-consumer experiential ecosystem that anchors its efforts on education, advocacy, empowerment and appreciation of the community of craft spirits and its makers.
Vikram Damodaran, chief innovation officer at Diageo India, said: “The Good Craft Co started with a vision to take Indian exceptionalism and craft in the spirit making process to the global stage. With the launch of The Flavour Lab in Bangalore, we are not just fulfilling that vision but opening the doors to so much more, elevating Indian craft spirits and empowering the community of makers around it.
“The Flavour Lab is a first-of-its-kind experience home where the science, art and creativity behind spirits intersect, where people can immerse themselves in the art of spirit-making and experience for themselves, hands-on, the length and breadth of the Indian craft spirits world. And, be a part of the innovation, research and progress of the art.
“We are proud to launch this as the harbingers of the community that embodies ‘Made in India, for the World,’ with a commitment to transparency, community, and sustainable practices. We are happy to welcome every enthusiast to step in and experience craft like never before.”
The Flavour Lab experience
Referred to as ‘a playroom for craft spirits’, The Flavour Lab offers a curated space with four engagement zones, giving consumers a ring-side view of the creation process, complete with guided tasting sessions, all focused on research, development and innovation outcomes.
Zone one is an entry experience, where visitors can enjoy a welcome drink that prepares the palate for the three hours ahead.
In the second zone, The Academy, attendees are offered a chance to learn about the story of Indian craft spirits.
In zone three, The Walkthrough, visitors get a sneak peek into Diageo India’s secretive R&D (research and development) labs, such as the separation lab, the incubation lab, and the molecular lab.
To finish the experience in zone four, guests can test their palate at the bar and even craft their own whisky with calculated blends of micro-quantities of malt and grain distillates.
Flavour Market at Ponda Distillery
In addition of the Bangalore experience, The Good Craft Co is set to open a Flavour Market at Diageo India’s Ponda Distillery in Goa in December 2025.
The company revived the distillery in 2017, which now produces six kilolitres per day and houses around 25,000 maturing casks.
The company has launched a series of craft spirits over the last 3 years. Starting with Epitome Reserve, a limited batch, collector’s edition that brought two different expressions out for consumers to experience, followed by Godawan, the artisanal single malt from Rajasthan.
Furthermore, Diageo India has kickstarted initiatives around Diageo Ventures in India, an investment arm for startup brands.
Diageo Ventures in India has already invested in four brands: NAO Spirits, Maya Pistola Agavepura, an Indian-born agave spirit, zero-alcohol spirit distiller V9 Beverages, and cold-brew coffee liqueur producers Indie Brew and Spirits.
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