Continuing the baggage of the colonial legacy, mahua is still categorised as ‘country liquor’ by the archaic excise laws which forbid a non-Adivasi to consume it or any manufacturer to produce it - dragging the negative notion of mahua.

 

But, good news is there is a change in the air. Not only in the assertion of scholars like Dr Vasava, but also in redoing mahua liquor as a brand that can compete with other market-dominating alcohols. Till date, we came across five mahua liquor brands, operating in India and abroad by changing the law or finding a legal workaround.

 

At the forefront of these efforts is Desmond Nazareth. His company introduced mahua liquor to the mainstream as IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) in 2018; however, it was available only in selected states of India due to legal glitches. This brand not only reinvented the drink but also invigorated a much-needed conversation around it, including discussions on policy change to declare mahua the “National Heritage Liquor.”

 

In 2022, the Madhya Pradesh government declared mahua a “heritage liquor” and subsequently launched two mahua liquor brands two mahua liquor brands, making them available at selected outlets within the state.

Aniruddha Mookerjee, who was an advisor to the Madhya Pradesh government on this project, is a stalwart of indigenous liquor. His Instagram handle, desidaruguru, is loaded with interesting information, insights and updates about mahua and other indigenous liquor repertoire of India.

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Rahul Srivastava and Matias Echanove introduced a mahua liquor brand in Paris in 2021 as a tribute to mahua , and the city has been cherishing it since then. This initiative is particularly important because it was not merely the introduction of a drink, but a presentation of the heritage of India’s own traditional spirit to an international audience.

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Another brand by South Seas Distilleries is the latest entry on this list and was made public in 2024.

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These businesses/initiatives drew considerable attention from the media, generating headlines. A few are added above and a bunch of them are accumulated in the repository.

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But… Yes, there is a but. Or, rather quite a few!