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Vodka has rarely been the first spirit associated with India’s craft drinks movement. Gin, whisky and rum have dominated that conversation in recent years, but the country’s vodka category is beginning to look different. A new generation of Indian vodka brands is putting greater emphasis on ingredients, distillation, provenance and presentation, while building bottles designed to be sipped as much as mixed.
That shift is particularly visible at the premium end of the market. Smoke Lab has built its identity around Basmati rice and five-times distillation, while newer names such as Rangeela are approaching vodka through a distinctly contemporary Indian lens. Meanwhile, craft labels such as Rahasya are drawing on regional influences to create spirits that feel rooted in India without being traditional in the conventional sense.
This International Vodka Day, from a basmati rice vodka distilled in Punjab to a saffron-laced Kashmiri luxury label, these are the five Indian-led vodka bottles worth raising a glass to.
Smoke Lab was founded in 2019 by Varun Jain and Sanya V Jain under Delhi-based NV Group, with the stated aim of creating a premium homegrown vodka that could compete with established international labels. Its Classic expression uses Basmati rice and demineralised water as its base before undergoing five-times distillation, resulting in a spirit with citrus hints and a crisp finish. The vodka is bottled at 42.8 per cent ABV in its current 750ml format, while the brand describes it as suitable for drinking chilled, straight or in cocktails.
The Basmati rice is central to Smoke Lab's identity, giving the brand a distinctly Indian point of difference in a category traditionally dominated by grain-based international labels. Its portfolio has also moved beyond the classic expression, with Aniseed bringing saunf into the vodka category, alongside newer flavour-led expressions. In 2026, the brand's premium positioning continues to be built around Indian provenance, five-times distillation and international expansion, with Smoke Lab available in markets beyond India.
Rangeela is one of the newer entries into India's premium vodka market, created by ABD Maestro with actor Ranveer Singh as its Co-Founder and Creative Partner. Positioned as a contemporary Indian vodka, the brand deliberately leans into colour, self-expression and a more youthful interpretation of the category. Its bottle and branding are designed around the idea of being “colourful, vibrant, bindass, fun and chic”, while the liquid itself is triple distilled and platinum chill-filtered.
The vodka's production process uses a neutral spirit before it goes through multiple filtration stages, with the platinum chill-filtration intended to produce a clean and smooth profile. Rangeela was initially launched in Maharashtra and has subsequently expanded into other Indian markets. Rather than borrowing the visual language of traditional vodka, its proposition is deliberately rooted in a contemporary Indian cultural vocabulary, making it one of the newer homegrown names to watch as India's premium vodka category expands.
Rahasya began with a fairly simple question: could India have a vodka with an identity of its own? Goa-based entrepreneur Varna Bhat founded Blisswater Industries and launched Rahasya in December 2020, creating a craft vodka inspired by Indian heritage and regional flavours. The name comes from the Sanskrit word for “mystery” or “secret”, reflecting the brand's intention to make the drinking experience less predictable than that of a conventional neutral vodka.
The spirit has been positioned as an India-infused vodka, using regional ingredients and a distillation process designed to retain a distinctly Indian character. Rahasya emerged from Goa's growing independent spirits scene, where a new generation of producers has been experimenting with local ingredients and more expressive styles of white spirits. The brand is now part of the wider Blisswater portfolio, alongside newer labels including Yaksha and Salty Nerd.
The Spirit of Kashmyr is Radico Khaitan's entry into India's luxury vodka segment, created with the ambition of offering an Indian alternative to the imported names that have historically dominated the category. The vodka is distilled from grain sourced from the Kashmir Valley and refined through diamond filtration, with Himalayan spring water and Pampore saffron at the heart of its two expressions. The Natural variant focuses on the spirit itself, while the Saffron expression uses Pampore saffron, an ingredient the company describes as among the world's finest.
Magic Moments Verve sits within Radico Khaitan's super-premium vodka portfolio and represents another step up from the company's flagship Magic Moments range. The expression was developed as a more contemporary vodka aimed at India's growing premium spirits consumer, with the brand built around a smoother drinking profile and an elevated presentation. Radico Khaitan continues to list Verve alongside Dazzle and The Spirit of Kashmyr within its broader premium and luxury brand portfolio.