Launched just seven months ago, Indian-inspired and British-made, ultra-premium, Alphonso Mango-flavoured vodka Desi Daru has been named World’s Best Flavoured Vodka in the recently announced World Vodka Awards.

Owned by British-born Indians, the vodka brand celebrates the best of the two countries they call home through the flavour-led spirits, using the highest quality ingredients from the Himalayan mountains to the jungles of Maharashtra and the English countryside.

Desi Daru’s Alphonso Mango-flavoured vodka has been making waves in the drinks world since its launch last July. And it impressed the global panel of judges so much that it claimed the top spot in the UK Flavoured Vodka category, and thereafter competed against the best from each country to win the coveted ‘World’s Best Flavoured Vodka’ title.

“The perfect marriage of East and West”

Describing the vodka as “the perfect marriage of East and West”, Desi Daru co-founder Mohit Singh said his team was thrilled the judges agreed and honoured the brand with such a prestigious accolade.

“The World’s Best title reflects the quality of the finest alphonso mangoes, prized for their sweetness that we sourced from India’s Ratnagiri, which are distilled rather than infused for a fuller, smooth flavour,” Mr Singh continued. “All of our vodkas are distilled seven times from creamy, English winter wheat, grown in Oxfordshire.”

An award winning and ambitious brand

Commending excellence in the vodka industry, the awards (part of the World Drink Awards) judges spirits in four categories: Pure Neutral, Infused and Botanical, Varietal and Flavoured.

This is the second award for the mango vodka, which has won a Spirits Business Global Vodka Masters Award and been scored 96 points by the International Drinks Specialists.

The spirit is distilled seven times to make a vodka that is smooth enough to sip as well as providing the perfect foundation for bold and memorable cocktails, which can be enjoyed at some of the UK’s top bars and restaurants – from Mayfair’s Michelin-star Benares and Fitzrovia’s Pahli Hill to the glitzy Farzi and Holborn’s luxury Colonel Saab.

The brand also produces the Desi Daru Original, distilled using English winter wheat and the purest water from the snow-capped Himalayas. This has won a Spirits Business Global Vodka Masters Gold Award and been scored 90 points by the International Drinks Specialists.

This year, the brand has ambitious expansion plans, with the recent addition to its team of drinks industry pioneer Ben Reed as consultant for brand strategy and activation, a new design team, and PR agency Cult Media Collective, alongside plans to launch a fully bespoke bottle design in 2023.