How a love of India inspired Kiwi gin start-up Moksha

A love for India has inspired perhaps the country’s newest spirits start-up.

Auckland-based gin brand Moksha launched three weeks ago after almost a year under development.

Co-founder Nicola Voice says her gin, which she hopes to have stocked in bottle shops around the country, was inspired by her love of India and gin.

Voice spent three years living in Bangalore, India, between 2009 and 2011 and spent five years frequently travelling back and forth when she later moved to Britain for work.

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She said the country of almost 1.4 billion people held a special place in her heart.

“From the moment I landed in Bangalore in 2009 I fell in love with the place. I was initially there on a project for work for a few months, but I ended up coming back to New Zealand and couldn’t settle down and needed to go live in India, so that’s what I did; I packed up and went to live in India for a few years – it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

She got the travel bug soon after arriving and travelled extensively through Rajasthan and Kerala and jungle areas.

Moksha was born six years later.

“I’ve always loved gin. I was actually introduced to it by my grandad who used to enjoy a small Gordon’s gin and tonic after golf. I sampled it and since then it has been my drink of choice. I liked and was into gin long before it was fashionable.”

Moksha started as a hobby in Voice’s kitchen with a small copper still, where she found herself experimenting and playing around with different flavour profiles.

Her gin was inspired by the flavours of India and made with spices including cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, sourced directly from India, she said.

“We started in early 2022 and literally every spare moment I got; weekends and after work in the evenings I would be at home on the still experimenting with different botanical weights, different recipes, until I could get that really elusive balance that I was after.”

She describes the gin as spiced and “cardamom forward” and reminiscent of authentic Indian masala chai (tea).

Voice and Moksha co-founder Kitty Ling still hold full-time day jobs around running the business.

The consumer data analytics professional said this year had been about developing the product and brand and 2023 would be about growing sales and its distribution.

The goal was to get the spirit stocked in bottle shops and more hospitality venues in the new year.

“One thing we were clear about from the beginning was if we were going to do this we were going to do it differently because there are so many amazing gins out there [already].”

Voice said she and Ling had committed to create something that stood out on the shelf and in the glass.

“I think it will appeal to people who are on the adventurous side and who like to try different gins. We’ve had really good feedback so far.

“People that have tried it that have the Indian origin are saying it gives them that nostalgic feel and reminds them of masala chai.”

Moksha is a Hindi word that means freedom, liberation or a state of peacefulness.

A small operation at present, Moksha has produced 1000 bottles, retailing for $89 each.

A portion of each sale is donated to Wildlife SOS, an India-based conservative charity dedicated to animals and habitat protection, said Voice.

She said the last few weeks had been “a hard slog” to launch the business, and it had already been stocked in V.T. Station, a modern Indian bar and restaurant in Auckland’s Newmarket.

“We’re keeping a very open mind about what the future holds, but we have big plans and want to keep refining our strategy and grow as people and a business.”

Voice said she would love to collaborate with Indian gin brands in the future.