Brands
Tilaknagar Industries adds pink vodka to its liquor cabinet
MUMBAI: Tilaknagar Industries, the veteran booze-maker with a 90-year legacy, is set to spice up its liquor lineup by distributing Amara artisanal pink vodka, a flamboyant new spirit from craft distiller Spaceman Spirits Lab. The arrangement, which kicks off in Q1 FY26, will see Tilaknagar pocket royalties for flogging Spaceman’s premium tipples across select Indian states and international markets.
The collaboration adds a splash of colour to Tilaknagar’s existing portfolio of posh Indian plonk, including two Millionaire brandy brands—Mansion House and Courrier Napoleon – Monarch Legacy Edition brandy, Mansion House whisky, Madiraa rum and Blue Lagoon gin. The deal will see Spaceman’s entire range—Samsara gin, Sitara rum and the new Amara Vodka—riding on Tilaknagar’s extensive distribution network, giving both companies a proper leg-up in the premium spirits market.
India’s vodka scene is positively buzzing, with consumption soaring 16.5 per cent in 2023, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis. While bog-standard vodka still dominates with 94 per cent market share, the fancy stuff is growing at a cracking pace—super-premium vodka swelled by 19.6 per cent between 2022 and 2023.
“Globally, craft spirits are having a moment, with flavoured concoctions leading the charge in premium innovations,” says Tilaknagar Industries chairman & managing director Amit Dahanukar. “India is fast catching up, with younger consumers and trendy high-energy urban bars embracing colourful, Instagrammable cocktails. The global shift toward premiumisation and flavored vodkas bodes well for the Amara.”
The debutante, which will square off against posh global vodka brands, is a lavish blend of five-times distilled spirits made from Bangalore blue grapes and rice grains from India’s Deccan Plateau. The rosy-hued spirit is infused with a garden party of ingredients—strawberries, passion fruit, peaches, citrus, rose petals, lotus and cherry blossoms—and filtered through pink rubies for extra swank.
Founded by Aditya Aggarwal, Riddhi Aggarwal, Sapna Aggarwal and Jai Chopra, Spaceman Spirits Lab is renowned for pushing boundaries in the craft spirits industry.
“India is experiencing a post-Covid drinking renaissance,” says Spaceman Spirits Lab founder & managing director Aditya Aggarwal. “Consumers are seeking elevated experiences, occasion-driven consumption, unique flavours, and ultra-premium-quality spirits. With Amara, we’re bringing craftsmanship and innovation into a category that is ripe for disruption.”
This pink concoction won’t come cheap—a 750ml decanter will set punters back between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,500, depending on local taxes. It’ll initially be available in premium outlets across Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, before swanning off to international markets including duty-free shops, UAE, UK and Singapore in the latter half of FY26.
Tilaknagar had already shown its fondness for Spaceman last September, announcing a follow-on investment of Rs 13.15 crore that would boost its stake to 20 per cent. With this latest move, the venerable liquor merchant appears determined to paint the town pink.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
