Jin Jiji

Jin JiJi, an Indian gin label introduced in 2019 by Ansh Khanna and Master Sommelier Ken Fredrickson, is driven by the challenge to best express Indian flavors through gin. Jin Jiji strives to capture the unique character and magic of the ingredients that influence the meals, medicine, and livelihood of India—the world’s greatest and most diverse botanicals—and this goal perfectly embodies the spirit of the Hindi word from which the brand’s name is derived: Jijivisha, describing a lust for life.

Originally produced in Goa, Jin Jiji is now produced in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, at the Himmaleh Spirits Distillery. Established in 2023 by Ansh Khanna and Samarth Prasad, the independently owned distillery employs its own farm team to oversee the cultivation and processing of many of the botanicals used in Jin Jiji. Located on a four-acre, family-owned estate nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, the eco-friendly distillery was designed with a focus on sustainability to ensure zero liquid and waste discharge.

Hand-foraged Himalayan juniper lays the foundation of Jiji’s botanical profile. Jin Jiji’s distillers first discovered wild foraged Himalayan juniper on a trip to Delhi’s spice market. Unsure of its properties, they took it to England’s Gin Guild where it was confirmed to be juniper, albeit of a unique nature. This was followed by a trip through the Himalayas to source it at its best.

In addition to their prized juniper, all of Jin Jiji’s botanicals are locally sourced. From the cashew nuts, which enhance the gin’s texture, to the ginger, cardamom, and clove that typically comprise Indian Masala tea, each of Jin Jiji’s botanicals speak to the cultural and culinary traditions of India. Relationships are established with local farms, such as the Jungpana Tea Estate, to ensure the finest botanicals in the world are sourced, including the highest-grade Darjeeling tea.

The Himalayan Mountain range that surrounds the distillery is part of a region known as the Third Pole because its glaciers and snowfields store more frozen water than anywhere in the world outside of the Arctic and Antarctic polar ice caps. This abundant reserve of freshwater feeds into ten major river basins, providing the Himalayan spring water used to produce Jin Jiji. The local botanicals and neutral base spirit—distilled from 100% rice grown locally in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand—are distilled in small batches using traditional copper pot stills.

Across the range of cocktail friendly gins, which include a classic dry gin, a Darjeeling tea focused gin, and a punchy high proof gin, Jin Jiji serves as an exploration of the diverse flora and flavors of India and speaks to the global influence of Indian spirits in contemporary cocktail culture.

For Himmaleh Spirits’ coffee liqueur brand, see Bandarful.