Award-Winning Liqueur Proves India Is Way More Than Just a Whisky Country

Does your local liquor store have an India section? It will soon. Don’t believe us? Currently, there are six Indian spirits listed in the top 20 most popular liquor brands in the world. And Amrut, a popular Indian whisky brand, was once hailed as "The World Whisky of the Year." Not enough proof for you? Here’s more: SomruS, the world’s first Indian liqueur, just won a gold medal from the SIP International Spirits Competition in Newport Beach, CA.

The competition featured over 462 international brands, separated into 59 categories, and each was judged in a double-blind tasting by a 98-member Consumer Judging Panel. SomruS, which translates to “Nectar of the Gods” in Hindi, beat out top performing brands like Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur and Magnum Cream Liqueur in the Cream/Dairy/Egg Liqueur category.

This is hardly the Indian liqueur brand’s first achievement; SomruS won “Cream Liqueur of the Year” in 2014 at the New York International Spirit Competition and sat on Wine Enthusiast’s "Top 50 Spirits" list that same year. SomruS also sports a 94-point “exceptional” taste rating from The Beverage Tasting Institute.

Served in a gold bottle that looks like it might release a genie if rubbed the right way, the creamy, white liqueur is a blend of Caribbean rum and dairy cream, combined with flavors that harken back to the liqueur’s homeland like cardamom, saffron, almonds, pistachios and rose. A writer from the Chicago Tribune likened the taste to that of rasmalai, an Indian dessert made with rasgullas (fresh cheese-and-semolina dumplings), milk and Indian spices. It can be mixed with strong, dark tea (much like a shot of Baileys in coffee), or sipped alone as an after-dinner drink.

Interested in seeing what all of the fuss is about? You can expect to see the award-winning Indian liqueur in your local stores soon, if you haven’t already. Priced at $28 and available in a select few Whole Foods and Sam’s Club stores in even fewer states (IL, NJ, NY, CT, FL), SamruS plans to go nationwide in the coming months, so you can soon taste the “Nectar of the Gods” yourself.