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 In a Statement issued by Sula ‘We are proud to announce that JANUS has been awarded Bronze Medal in the tasting category at the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) 2016. ISC is an authoritative, respected and influential spirits competition in the world. In the blind tasting JANUS took home a bronze from an impressive line-up of spirits.
Rajeev Samant, Founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards, is naturally thrilled with the first Award for the grape brandy. "This acknowledgement further validates JANUS ground-breaking project to create India's first 100% premium grape brandy. Winners are determined in part by experts in the industry. Therefore, we are pleased that they have recognized our efforts to lead the industry in terms of innovation and quality," he says.
The Award is even more significant since the competition was very tough this year. Award organiser Justin Smith says, ‘this year's judging was tougher than ever before with consistent quality found across each category. It made for a series of fascinating blind tasting sessions, with our experts coming to their final conclusions led by the experience of the chairman."
Deriving its name from the ancient Roman deity with two faces, JANUS embodies the exceptional French Cognac making heritage and the expertise of Sula in selecting quality Indian grapes. Sula had joined hands with Remy Cointreau four years ago to produce India’s first grape brandy, on international lines.
In March 2015 Remy Martin decided to shut shop in India and delWine had reported that it would sell its shares to Sula. Remy Cointreau eventually sold their equity to Sula-lock, stock and barrel and shut shop in June 2015. However it continued with Sula as the distributor for its products imported into India, including the very prestigious Louis XIII Grande Champagne Cognac.
JANUS is the only authentic brandy recognised internationally. The total market for the India-made brandies is 54 million cases. But these are not export-worthy as they don't meet international standards. Janus claims it would be the first Indian brandy to be exported, once the distribution system for the Indian market is fully in place.
Made from Bangalore purple and Thomson Seedless grapes (Ugni Blanc used in Cognac, are no longer grown in India after Indage that pioneered this variety went bankrupt). It was launched in July 2015 in Goa where the 750 mL bottle retails at Rs. 1500 a bottle; the 180 mL version is also available at Rs. 395. It sells at the same price in Pondicherry, Daman and Silvassa. However, it costs more in Andhra Pradesh (Rs. 2390) and Telangana (Rs. 2265) due to higher State taxes.
Janus comes in premium packaging with a bottle design inspired from the Mid-19th century, a style known as ‘standard fifth’. The base wine is double distilled in small batches using traditional French alembic pot stills. They are aged in small French oak barrels for 9-12 months under the supervision of a French Master Blender, giving a complex character of a cognac-style brandy with a long finish. Made from wood from Limousin forests, these barrels are used by many premium Cognac producers including Remy Cointreau.
The launch of Janus has registered Sula’s entry into the spirits business. It is manufactured by Artisan Spirits Pvt. Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of Sula that focuses on spirits. By so doing, it has not only brought in the technology from Cognac but also pioneered the 100% grape brandy in India.
As delWine had reported, ‘it appears that one would soon start hearing a lot about Artisan Spirits and India's first 100% grape brandy labelled as Janus’. The announcement of receiving the first Medal, albeit Bronze, is a step in that direction.
For full results visit www.internationalspiritschallenge.com.
Subhash Arora |