(June 9, 2024) Ansh Khanna, Co-founder of Peak Spirits, found his passion for spirits sparked during a trip to Tuscany when he was 16 years old, where he visited a vineyard that had been run by the same family for 32 generations. He continued to travel extensively, especially to Uttarakhand, which is now home to his distillery. This passion led him to UCLA and UC Davis, where he specialized in winemaking. Gaining hands-on experience at Margerum Wine Company in California, he honed his craft in artisanal wine production. Seeing the interest in Indian-made craft spirits, Khanna launched Jin JiJi, a gin brand celebrating India’s rich botanical heritage. His mission is clear: to elevate Indian spirits on the global stage, continually innovating and sharing his passion with the world.
Wine On
Khanna grew up in Delhi and often travelled to the north within India and overseas. One place he recollects traveling to often was to Uttarakhand where he used to stay at a farm, which coincidentally, happens to be in the same area as their distillery. “When I moved to Los Angeles for my higher studies, my university was in LA, I used to wander off to the wine country on the weekends time and again and during the summers I relished the time to learn more about the subject,” he tells Global Indian. He commenced his journey with a strong educational background and obtained a Certificate in Winemaking and Wine Management from UCLA’s Viticulture and Enology Program, followed by additional studies at UC Davis.
Shaping his career
Relocating, especially to the USA, a country with a unique culture and environment known for high-quality artisanal beverages, allowed him to delve deeply into the world of wine and spirits. “This experience provided a rich opportunity to explore and appreciate the wine world in depth. I became open minded and welcomed an understanding attitude.” The process taught him how to adapt and helped him immerse himself more mindfully in the role he was playing. “Being a part of the ecosystem during my time in the US was invaluable,” he remarks.
His career began at Margerum Wine Company, a charming winery situated in the Sta Rita Hills along California’s coast. Rita Hills is a wine region in Santa Barbara County, known for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Joining just before the harvest season, he immersed himself in wine production from its foundational stages. “My job was an entry level position over there, that involved washing the tanks before grapes arrived, fermentation, barrelling and even bottling and packaging. It gave me a great perspective on wine production at the grassroots that involves small-scale, artisanal methods, often family owned.
These families emphasize on using their own family oriented traditional way of producing the wine. I absolutely enjoyed my time over there and if given a chance I won’t hesitate to revisit.” This included hands-on experiences such as harvesting grapes by hand before dawn, managing tank cleaning operations in preparation for grape processing, and actively participating in the bottling process, marking the culmination of the wine’s journey.
Gin journey
He began Peak Spirits with a mission to take India to the world. Being in the US alcobev business, he saw a huge interest in Indian spirits but few offerings. His inspiration, however, came from a trip to Tuscany when he was 16 years old. “I visited a winery which was run by the same family for 32 generations, making phenomenal wine – and I was inspired to set up an enterprise that has the same longevity! Hence, we launched Jin JiJi first in the US and for many years it was an export only brand. Last year we launched Jin JIJI domestically,” he says. Naturally, he is inspired by the idea of creating spirits that put India at the forefront of the global craft spirits scene. “The gratification comes from our consumers who drink our spirits and enjoy them. The contentment of our consumers and to work for Peak Spirits, an Indian brand to take over the world is what drives me,” he adds.
India is home to one of the world’s best sources for diverse and high quality botanicals – with many of the world’s top brands sourcing from here since forever. The country’s rich soil makes it a nurturing habitat for biodiversity and ancient knowledge of botany helps to understand the categorization and usefulness of those herbs in different ways. “I often call India ‘the world’s botanical garden’, so it was very apt for our first offering to be in. Jin JiJi uses unique botanicals like Tulsi, Himalayan juniper, chamomile, and first flush tea for its Darjeeling edition. The slight burn from the tulsi and mild calming effect from chamomile dissolves its flavour into Jin JIJI, giving our Darjeeling edition the masala chai essence, a big time India’s favourite beverage. We aim at using the botanicals in production of Jin JIJI to achieve a unique undertone that distinguishes our gin from the rest,” he adds.
Driven to learn
Khanna believes that every day is an opportunity for new learnings, and he says that he gets up every day to gain new experience and dive into the ocean of knowledge and wisdom. “Since, one can never know everything! One can also say I’m a learner by heart, I am by nature curious and embrace challenges while learning continually and celebrating even small achievements. For me it’s the improvement in my professional skills and my personal growth, that matters,” he adds. In his free time, he likes collecting and reading about wine, the journey that started at the university is still going on and he admits that there is enough to learn more about one’s passion. “Other than that, I look forward to eating at interesting restaurants around the world with chef’s special menus or the area specific local dishes. My engagement with food also involves cooking sometimes as well. For relaxation I play golf and I travel. Travelling brings me the fresh energy to unwind, at the times I feel blocked, traveling helps me,” he says.
Jin Jiji by Peak Spirits
For someone who loves the world of wines and spirits, he is quite enthusiastic about producing more and more quality wine and spirit. “I would like more people to experience the synthesis of phenomenal and mystical spirits that gains its uniqueness from blending botanicals and invent more of such wilderness hidden amidst the majestic soils of nature. Hence, my future plans include many new spirit offerings in the works and I want to base my future endeavours out of the same,” he signs off.
Ansh Khanna’s journey from Delhi to becoming a prominent part in the global spirits industry exemplifies his dedication and passion for innovation. With Jin JiJi, he has successfully highlighted India’s rich botanical heritage, bringing unique flavors to the international market. His continuous pursuit of excellence, combined with his deep-rooted connection to his homeland, drives his mission to position Indian spirits at the forefront of the global craft scene.
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