Blending two cultures into an original gin at Rebel City Distillery

The world of gin has evolved quickly over the last few years, with the traditional gin and tonic now reinvented as ever-more exotic cocktails featuring a huge range of flavoured liquors.

Finding something innovative to bring to the market can be challenging, but Rebel City Distillery has managed to freshen up the sector with its Maharani Gin, which blends an Irish-made gin with botanicals sourced in India.

Now the company is looking to take advantage of the growth it has enjoyed so far, with EIIS investment to expand to other markets and develop new products.

The inspiration for the flagship gin product, Maharani Gin, came from the blend of cultures between the husband and wife founders Robert and Bhagya Barrett. Robert Barrett, who has a master’s degree in brewing and distilling from Edinburgh’s prestigious Heriot-Watt University, boasts 12 years’ experience at renowned distilleries and beverage establishments throughout Ireland and Canada.

In 2020, Barrett, along with Bhagya and his father Brendan, brought together their very different skill sets to open Red City Distillery. Bhagya, who grew up in India, is an experienced IT and project management professional who also uses her heritage to drive the distinct flavours and character of Maharani Gin.

Brendan has a background in engineering and construction, and used his skills to set up the distillery building, which is situated in a landmark building in Cork.

“Our products are made in our distillery, which is based in the old Ford factory – an interesting building with a history of its own,” Barrett explained.

“So the gin is made in Cork but flavoured with botanicals from Kerala, South India, where Bhagya is from. She sources the botanicals from women’s collectives in Kerala. This is why the gin is called Maharani, which means ‘queen’.”

Despite only being on the market for a few years, the product has already enjoyed a great deal of success. “The spiced gin has won five awards from five competitions entered. It’s available in Ireland, and it’s now entering the market in the United States, in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and starting in March, Ohio. We also export a little to Singapore, Sweden and Germany, and possibly UAE next year,” Barrett said.

An important part of the business is the distillery itself, which has already gained significant traction as a tourist destination. “We launched our visitor centre last summer; we’ve already reached the Top 10 on TripAdvisor of things to do in Cork, with about 126 five-star reviews. At the same time we launched Ireland’s only absinthe and a pomelo citrus vodka, sourcing flavours for that from the women’s collective in Kerala too.”

With confirmed plans for a nationwide listing at a major retailer in 2024, the company is now looking for investment to build upon the momentum they have already created.

“We’re getting busier and bigger, and now we are looking to raise money through the EIIS to build upon that groundwork and fund further sales and marketing efforts, primarily in the States,” Barrett said.

“We’re also looking towards India, as our work with the women’s collective got a lot of attention, particularly in Southern India, so we want to take advantage of that sort of notice too.

We also want to advance product innovation, building upon the successful launch of our absinthe and pomelo citrus vodka. All going well, we will also look to source and blend our own whiskey next year or the year after too.”

Hoping to raise up to €500,000, Rebel City makes a good case for ambitious investors. “We have a lot of unique selling points. The distillery itself is situated in a building with a lot of history,” Barrett said.

“Our product is also unique because it’s made in Cork but is flavoured with botanicals from India. As we have direct knowledge of and experience in the Indian market and sourcing ingredients and flavours, this puts our brand in a unique position to enter that market.

“In the States, we can also utilise the Irish American and the Indian American diaspora to push our brand; being cross-cultural gives us two angles rather than just one.”

The Irish and Indian connection is completely natural as we’re a husband and wife team. It’s not a gimmick or forced; we have simply put together our knowledge and produced something that reflects both our cultures.”